On War's Edge
by purplesky24
Summary: OC team & universe. Xadrin, White Ranger of Eltare, chased a thief to Earth and stumbled into a plot that could turn the tide of an intergalactic war. Along with three accidental Rangers, she must find a way to stop a villain with mind-control powers before it's too late...
1. The First Battle on Earth

**A/N:** Hello! Over the Christmas holidays, I dug up an old Nanowrimo fanfic I wrote years ago and realized that I haven't put it up anywhere. So here it is! I won that Nano so there will be at least 50K words of this coming up, but only arc 1 of the story is complete. Whether I write more about this universe depends on whether people like it enough - let me know!

A little more on the story itself: I am a huge, huge fan of Starandrea's First Saga, a glorious saga set in the PR In Space universe and spread out across years and years. I love the intergalactic travel part of the story, but didn't want to write another PRIS or PR Lost Galaxy story because I knew I would be comparing myself against the First Saga and it won't be as good. Thus, I've developed an OC team of Rangers who live on a spaceship...

More than that though, it's going to be about a group of strangers thrown together by circumstance, and they'd have to learn to work with each other, to trust each other because the fate of the Earth rests on their shoulders...

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the concept of Power Rangers or the names of planets.

 **Chapter 1 summary:** All Xadrin, White Ranger of Eltare, wanted to do was to hunt down a cargo thief she accidentally helped. But when the thief led her to Earth, she was in for more than she bargained for...

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The First Battle on Earth**

A muted chime startled Xadrin out of a foggy dream, and for a moment she lost balance, feeling as if she was among the stars in the window in front of her.

"Exiting hyperush nine," VIKI, the ship A.I., announced, "Location: Galaxy 902488, Solar system of star 0801."

Xadrin sat up straight on her seat, and consulted the map on her console. She frowned, "And the stolen ship?"

"Location currently unknown. It is likely in stealth mode to avoid detection."

"Again," she sighed. Five days – for five frustrating, restless, sleepless days, she had been on the trail of this stolen cargo ship. For more than a few times already, its residual signals have been traced to a certain galaxy, only to be lost again for a period of time, before VIKI picked up the hyperush beep that signals its departure from the galaxy. This blasted thief had dragged her halfway across the galaxy, and her patience was running short.

But something felt different this time, with this solar system. It was a strange system even for a seasoned traveler like her. Preliminary scans showed that one planet in the system – the third from the sun – had trillions of life forms, of which there are around billions of humans. Yet, this was not registered as a galaxy that has established any intergalactic contact. There is a high likelihood that none of the humans there knew there are other humans outside of their little planet too.

"VIKI, did any of the galaxies we stopped at previously have human life forms?" she asked, as a hunch slowly formed in her mind.

"Negative."

"Hmm. Watch this planet for any teleportation signals. Our little thief might be looking for humans."

"Affirmative."

She stretched and yawned. At the moment, she was too tired to guess why a cargo-ship thief might be hopping around the galaxy looking for humans. She needed proper sleep, and she needed to haul this ship back home – where she would make sure the thief gets more trouble for it than what she would surely get from this little hunt as well.

She stood up to go back to her room – and another muted chime stopped her.

"Teleportation signal detected. A life form just teleported onto the planet surface."

"Damn it," she muttered, even as she rushed to the back of the room to grab her gears and weapons. This blasted thief had the worst timing. She would make sure it pay for all this trouble.

* * *

It was a sunny, breezy Friday in Crystal Falls' central park. Most students in the town's college had just finished their final papers for the term, and many of them are descending on the park in droves to celebrate the beginning of summer.

In the shade of a big tree stood a young man holding a rose made of balloon. He looked like one of those college students – mildly styled dark hair, with jeans and a polo shirt. But unlike the other college students who were relaxing and rejoicing at the start of the summer, he was fidgety, and checked his watch every few seconds. At times, he examined his balloon rose; sometimes hopeful, yet sometimes looking almost disgusted.

Suddenly, the balloon burst – and something flew right past him to hit the tree behind him.

He flinched and duck instinctively as people around him screamed and ran in panic.

In the middle of a park, stood someone – _something_ – out of a nightmare. It is vaguely humanoid in shape, yet definitely not human with flame-colored scales covering its entire body, and with sharp spikes protruding along both arms and the back of its spine. Its face – if it could be called that – was marked by sharp teeth that reminded one of saber-tooth tigers, and reddish mad eyes. It carried something in its hand – and as it surveyed the people running away from it, it pointed the thing in its hand, and a hot laser beam blasted out of it, burning patches of grass into ash in an instant.

The young man cursed and turned to run – but then he saw a fallen stroller in the monster's path, and the mother was almost crying with fear as she tried to extract her baby.

The monster was still closing in. The young man scanned around quickly, picked up a half-empty bottle of beer - "HEY!"

He threw it at the monster as hard as he could.

The bottle shattered against its shoulder, and it stopped to look at him. Cursing again, he turned, and ran for his life.

* * *

About a hundred meters away, a girl hung up her 911 call, and gaped as the young man threw the bottle at that monster. _Was he out of his freaking mind?_

Her brain told her that she should run, but as she watched the monster turn and aim its weapon at the young man, she couldn't look away. Any moment now, the same high-energy beam will turn the young man into ash in an instant –

Something else hit the monster.

It stumbled – it was a big rock. The girl turned – as the monster did – to the source, and saw a jogger in a cap and black shirt running away as fast as he could. Someone else was fighting back!

The monster screeched – a thunderous yet piercing sound unlike any other she'd ever heard of – and trained its weapon on the retreating jogger.

And for the third time, something else attacked the monster from behind.

It spun around with another screech, to find a figure in white and black armor standing in wait.

The girl felt her breath catch. The latest arrival – and she did not even see her coming – was covered from head to toe in some sort of light armor in black and white. His – or her – head was fully covered in a similarly colored helmet, and its black visor revealed nothing about who or what might lie behind.

For a moment both party did not move a single inch – as if they were examining each other, or as if they were surprised by each other.

Then – both charged.

The monster fired its weapons with hardly any break in between, which the armed figured dodged with amazing speed in almost acrobatic-like fashion; the figure fired back in between rounds, but its shots barely grazed the monster. In seconds, it was clear that the armed figure was rapidly losing ground.

"He's not gonna make it." The girl jumped as a voice panted next to her. It was the guy who first threw a bottle at the monster. And from her periphery vision she saw that the jogger was running towards the two of them as well.

"Are you both _insane_?" she blurted when the jogger came within earshot, "you both just – and you came back – that thing will kill you!"

"I see you're still here," The jogger who looked about her age said, not looking at her as he was transfixed by the battle taking place near them.

The girl followed his gaze, and bit her lip. "I don't know who he is, but he's protecting all these people, us – and he needs help."

"That's an understatement," the jogger murmured, and she shot a glare at him.

"Look, I called 911, help should be coming soon." She said, and even as she said it she doubted the police could do anything to something like this, "If we could just buy him some time…"

"Do you trust me?" The first guy said, still panting slightly. Both the girl and the jogger exchanged glances. She nodded slowly, and he shrugged.

"I have a plan."

* * *

Xadrin dropped to the ground and rolled, barely dodging the blast from Metigor's weapon. She cursed her luck again – not only did the supposed small-time thief turned out _not_ to be a small-time thief, it had to turn out to be one of the most infamous intergalactic fugitive, who is also a known mass murderer. She knew she needed back-up, but the only back-up she had were halfway across the universe.

The only upside was the few seconds she had in between consecutive attacks as Metigor's weapon charges. She charged again – firing shots at Metigor's weapon and trying to close the ground between them. If only she could get close enough and disarm him –

She stumbled, pain exploding from her right leg – she dodged a second too late. She gritted her teeth and scrambled back, gripping her blaster with both hands and firing continuously from the ground.

It was useless. Metigor's armor – it had to be wearing one – was fortified against even a Ranger weapon like hers. He took all the hits to his chest without flinching, and for a moment, just stood there without moving, as if he was _humoring_ her.

He spoke, and her visor showed her the translated words, "What's a small little Ranger like you doing here? Isn't this a little far from home?"

He _was_ humoring her. Taunting her like a trapped prey. She'd be damned if she give him any satisfaction. But just as she was about to retort, she saw movement behind Metigor. Two humans were slowing creeping up on him, holding some sort of long cloth between them – what the hell were they doing? They were not even armed!

She bit back her retort, she couldn't draw attention to them, whatever they were attempting.

"What's the matter," Metigor was still enjoying himself, it seemed, "Is that fear holding your tongue?"

"Fear?" She pretended to laugh, "For the likes of you, Metigor? My family has defeated your kind over and over again. Your turn will come soon enough!"

Metigor did not speak for a moment, but its fury was growing. "Your _family_ would never find any scrap of you left when –"

\- A cloth flew over his face from behind, caught it in its neck, and pulled sharply back. Caught by surprise, Metigor turned to look – only to have a girl run right towards him from the side, and knocked his weapon out of his grip with a bat.

Enraged, he roared. With one hand he grabbed and tore the cloth in half, and with the other he grabbed the girl by the neck as she tried to run. She screamed – and the two other humans kicked Metigor from the back, and Metigor dropped her.

Xadrin was already up and running towards them. The girl scrambled backwards as Metigor turned around to the two humans. Metigor flexed the spikes on his arms, and Xadrin knew she had only seconds before the three humans suffer a fate worse than death.

"Use this!" She threw a morpher at the girl, knowing that she would find the way to activate it.

She summoned her sword mentally, and brought it down on Metigor's back as it materialized. Sparks flew as it made contact with the scaled armor.

Metigor spun around, and Xadrin attacked, again and again. With the spiked, poisonous arms his species was known for he blocked her blows each time. She tried to find an opening, but he was faster than her. Suddenly, his arm lifted away, and he aimed at someone –

She jumped to the right, knocking the flying spike out of the air – only to feel a blow slamming her from behind, and she cried, losing balance.

She landed on something uneven – on _someone_. She opened her eyes – and saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. She almost couldn't breathe from the pain on her back.

"Are you all right?" The human asked, his eyes nervous and concerned.

 _Breathe,_ she ordered herself. Fumbling with her belt, she found another morpher. She got up painfully, and thrust the morpher at the young man.

"Use it," she said hoarsely, and turned around.

A second Ranger – her armor marked with blue – was already engaging Metigor. The second human was looking at the new Ranger in part confusion and part awe. He turned to her, and Xadrin made another decision. She found and threw the third morpher at him, nodding.

There was no time – the girl was too new, she would not last long. Picking up her sword, Xadrin charged at Metigor from his side, landing a blow at the space between his armor. He screeched, and kicked the other girl – she fell back. Xadrin hit again.

Two new Rangers rushed in, one red and the other pure black. Metigor was forced to block their kicks as Xadrin charged again. They pressed on and on – suddenly Metigor froze and they landed a few more hits – the other girl had gone behind Metigor and fired with her blaster.

Metigor screeched once more, firing the spikes on his arm all around him. Xadrin blocked, prepared for the stinging pain, but secure in the knowledge that its poison would not penetrate. The other Rangers stumbled back a little.

And in a red flash – Metigor was gone.

Xadrin panted. It was over.

For now.

* * *

 **A/N:** That's chapter 1! What do you think?


	2. Becoming Rangers

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the concept of Power Rangers or the names of planets.

 **Chapter 2 summary:** The first battle was over. Now it's time for introductions and finding out what they have gotten themselves into...

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Becoming Rangers**

Shawn rubbed his arm tentatively, admiring the pure black armor that wrapped his whole body almost like a skin. It still stung a little where the deadly-looking spikes have hit him, but the armor showed no marks or other damage. It felt entirely unreal – he was just jogging like he usually did, yet everything went completely crazy in barely ten minutes.

"We need to talk."

He jumped at a girl's voice inside his head, and looked around to see the others just as surprised. The others – the guy he met in similar armor but in red, and the girl in blue. The first armed figure – he realized with a start that the voice belong to _her_ , that she's a female – seemed to be looking around at the three of them.

"This isn't the place." Even as she spoke, Shawn became aware of the sirens closing in. "VIKI, four to teleport."

Before he could wonder whom the girl was talking to, his world dissolved into black. He flinched – and the world came back again, drastically changed.

The other guy cursed to his left. Shawn jerked around in reflex, taking in his surroundings, and the three other people standing in a line beside him. He gaped.

He was suddenly indoors, firstly. Secondly, it was a room unlike anything else he had been in – though it strongly resembled some sort of high security control room, with two rows of consoles in front of them, and a giant screen taking up most of the opposite wall. The grey walls by the sides had various control panels and screens built in, and a quick backward glance showed a wide door several feet behind them. The giant screen had a space-themed screensaver, and it almost feel like they were on some sort of spaceship. For a second he almost thought they were. But it couldn't be. It couldn't.

A muted squeak drew his attention back to the row of console in front, where the girl in white had dropped onto the nearest seat.

"Power down," she muttered, and her armor dissolved in a white flash.

The first thing Shawn noticed was the hair – long, light blond hair that fell forward, covering part of her face. She flipped her head back in a practiced movement, and her hair was swept gently to the side. She looked about their age, with light skin and an almond-shaped face. Though her clothes looked like some sort of uniform – an unbuttoned grey jacket over a white shirt, with matching grey pants and boots.

"You can power down as well, we're safe here." She said wearily.

Shawn looked down at his wrist, and briefly touched the device the girl had given all of them. And he knew.

"Power down," he said, and felt the armor dissolve. The rest had done the same, and they exchanged glances – a mix of disbelief, awe and confusion.

"Take a seat." The girl said, gesturing at the empty seats at the consoles. There were four more seats.

The girl he met at the park took the seat next to the blonde, and he and the other guy went around the consoles to the next row and turn the seats around so that they all faced each other.

"Well," the blonde started after a few seconds of rather awkward silence. "Let's start with some introductions. My name is Xadrin. And you are…?" She turned to the other guy first, as he was sitting right in front of her.

"Cody," he said, smiling a little uncertainly.

"Cody," Xadrin nodded, and turned to him expectantly.

He straightened up in his seat, "Shawn."

Similarly, Xadrin repeated his name, and moved on.

"My name's Alison," the girl started, "but just call me Aly. It wasn't the ideal circumstances – but still, nice to meet you all."

Cody chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Wait a second," Xadrin suddenly said, "the three of you _don't_ know each other?"

Cody and Aly shook their heads, while Shawn shrugged. "I don't think I would make it this far if I had known crazy people like them from way back," he said, pretending to frown a little.

Cody grinned. "Oh you know you don't regret this."

Xadrin cracked a smile for the first time, and it made her look younger. "I'll have to agree with Shawn on this one. All of you are crazy, doing what you did. You could have been -" she caught herself, and paused, looking away.

It felt as if the mood has suddenly become heavier. Shawn recalled the unreal and the longest few minutes of his life – of deciding to help Cody, then running back to check whether anyone else needed help, which led to Cody's crazy plan and the incredible device Xadrin gave him…

"We just wanted to help," Aly said, breaking the sudden silence. "We are not crazy enough to think we would actually win, but we thought we could at least buy you some time until the police arrive."

"Metigor isn't someone your police, or even your other defense forces could handle."

"'Metigor'?" Cody repeated, "That's what it was?"

"Metigor is his name, not his species." Xadrin frowned a little, as if recalling some unpleasant memories, "He is a fugitive. He's been on the run for years. I never – I didn't expect him to be the one."

"Which one do you mean?" Shawn probed, feeling as if Xadrin was talking more to herself.

She shook her head slightly, as if trying to refocus. "I was chasing a thief who stole a cargo ship. The trail led me to your planet. I wasn't expecting a heavily-armed mass murderer."

"Mass murderer in what–"

"A ship, do you mean a spaceship-"

"Our _planet_ , so you're not from Earth?!"

The three of them stopped simultaneously, like how they started talking simultaneously. They watched each other for a second, noting the same disbelief mirrored in each other's faces. It did not seem appropriate, but they laughed.

Xadrin smiled wryly, and started ticking off the questions, "Yes, I'm not from Earth," she answered Cody, and turned to Aly, "Yes, I meant a space craft – blasted!"

She suddenly banged her fist on the console, "VIKI, could you trace –" she bit back a cry as her leg buckled when she tried to stand.

Aly was already helping her up by the time Shawn and Cody stood up. Xadrin's face was contorted in pain, and Shawn recalled the battle – of her being pushed back by Metigor, and taking a shot square to her back when she saved Cody…

"I'm sorry, I forgot –" Cody looked concerned and apologetic, "we should've attended to your injuries earlier…"

"I'm fine," Xadrin said through gritted teeth, even as she rested most of her weight on Aly.

"Xadrin," a feminine voice rang clearly throughout the room, "you require medical attention. I have traced the teleportation signal to its origin, but neither you nor the rest of the Rangers are fit for pursuit. I suggest you get some rest. I will monitor the ship closely. "

Shawn had traced the voice to the speakers around the room, noting that the small, almost invisible cameras around the room had pulsed in red, almost in rhythm to the speech.

"Who are you?" Cody asked out loud.

"I am VIKI, the main computer on the Ace, the spacecraft you are currently on."

And Shawn thought he was beyond surprise today. So firstly, they were on a spaceship. A freaking _spaceship_. Secondly, the computer did not sound like a computer at all – it sounded sentient and almost human. How advanced was the aliens' artificial intelligence technology?

"VIKI, where can I get the medical supplies?" Aly asked, adjusting Xadrin's weight on her shoulders.

"I will lead you to the medical bay," VIKI replied without delay, "follow the green light."

The door behind the room slid open, and sure enough, Shawn could see greenish light on the other side.

"I'll take care of her," Aly said, already turning to the doors, "you guys stay here."

"But –" Cody protested, and caught himself. "All right. Let us know if you need anything."

The door slid shut behind them, barely making a single sound.

* * *

The strip of green light in the middle of the wall led them silently down the corridors. Aly watched Xadrin carefully as she adjusted her own stride to match Xadrin's slower limp. Supporting her from the side was rather awkward physically, as Aly was about half a foot taller, but she bet it was nothing compared to what Xadrin must be feeling. Her right leg was hurt, yet Aly couldn't see any sign on damage on her uniform, and couldn't gauge the extent of her injuries. She had a feeling that there were more.

Xadrin gave her a quick look, and stopped, mustering a grin for her. "Don't look so worried. I'll be fine."

If she had not sounded so strained or needed to stop before she could speak, perhaps she would be more convincing. Aly kept her face neutral. "I'd rather listen to professional judgment on that."

"Well," Xadrin started forward again at Aly's gentle nudge, "VIKI will be happy to hear that."

"Indeed I am, Xadrin," VIKI's voice said, "It is gratifying to have one's professional judgment listened to and respected. That is a rare occurrence on this ship, Ranger Aly."

"Oh shut up."

Aly had a feeling that the pair must banter a lot under normal circumstances. But there was something else she did not understand, "VIKI, why do you call me 'Ranger'?"

Xadrin shot her a sideway glance at the question, but did not intervene.

"Because that is what you are now, Ranger Aly. The morphers that Xadrin gave you, Cody and Shawn were keys to unlocking Ranger powers. These include the battle armor and weapons that you have already experienced, and also faster reflexes and healing – which Ranger Xadrin will do well to remember does not equal to invincibility."

Next to her, Xadrin sighed loudly. "Yes, VIKI."

Aly was about to ask more, but the green light has ended next to an open door, and she realized with a start that this must be the medical bay.

The first thing that she noticed was how big it was. The door opened to one corner of the room, where to the right was two large bed-like equipments, one open and one enclosed in a cocoon-like glass chamber. To the left were two rows of beds facing each other, three on each side. The second thing she noticed was how empty it was. It was not just the lack of any inhabitants, but also the way everything was perfectly arranged that seemed to suggest lack of use.

Xadrin was leading her towards the open bed on the right, and she noticed that a tray of equipment was waiting by the head of the bed. There was no sign of anyone who might have prepared it. Could it be that VIKI had done it?

"Is there… is there anyone else on this ship?" she asked, wondering just how big this ship was. This _spaceship_ , she repeated silently, and forced down her own excitement at being on a spaceship – there would be a time for this later, she hoped.

"Negative. Xadrin is the only human occupant on the Ace."

She nodded in acknowledgement, swallowing a load of other questions. They have reached the examination table. It lowered automatically at their approach.

Despite her leg, Xadrin did not plop down onto the table, but sat down carefully and slowly, which confirmed Aly's suspicions that she must be hurting somewhere else.

Aly took a quick glance at the tray of equipment as the table rose up slowly to its original height. Other than what looked like some padding used for dressing wounds, she recognized nothing.

"Ranger Aly, may I guide you through the medical examination?" VIKI offered, and Aly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please do," she smiled hesitantly at a room corner, finding the subtle camera, "I had basic first aid training in school, but these don't look like anything I know."

It was not complicated at all. VIKI instructed her on how to use a hand-held medical scanner, which was the size of a normal hair dryer. The scanner was advanced enough that it could scan not just for surface injuries, but could also detect any internal damage if needed. Its readings could be studied from a small screen on the device itself, but they were also automatically routed to VIKI's servers, and the results could be seen on a bigger screen on the other side of the examination table.

Xadrin sat quietly throughout the examination, and seemed to be focused on controlling her breathing. Aly grimaced at the results displayed. The injuries were burns, on her leg, her back, and other assorted bruises. Some other indicators were also alarmingly low, indicating exhaustion.

A small whirring sound had started right after the results were displayed, and as the wall panel next to the table opened to a tray of supplies, Aly realized that VIKI had prepared everything she needed.

She proceeded to work. She helped Xadrin remove her jacket, which the other girl endured with only the barest of grimace. As she lifted up the white undershirt, she drew a sharp intake of breath. On the center of Xadrin's back was a perfectly rounded circle of burnt flesh, red and angry. The cold analysis from the med scanner did not prepare her for this at all.

She picked up the cream that VIKI had prepared. "I'm going to start applying some cream, all right?"

Xadrin nodded wordlessly. As Aly applied the cream she felt Xadrin's body jerked a little in pain, and noted that she had clenched her fists tightly on the table. Aly kept working.

"I don't understand," Aly said as she finished with the cream and dressing. She blinked away the wetness at the corner of her eyes as she walked around to the other side to tend to the injured leg, "Wasn't the Ranger armor supposed to protect you from these?"

She was ready for the angry burns this time, and grimly continued with dressing the wound.

"It already did." Xadrin said wearily. "VIKI, could you help…?"

"The Ranger armor can protect the body from a wide range of attacks or extreme temperatures, including all laser beams that are grade five and below. However, to preserve its flexibility for battle, it does not provide much protection against impact, except for the helmet. Metigor had used a laser-based weapon that was at least grade nine, judging from battle footage. Without the armor, Xadrin would have been incinerated."

Aly paused. _Incinerated_. It sent a chill down her spine. Taking a deep breath, she went back to work.

"So are Rangers some sort of soldier, where you came from?" she asked after a while, trying to sort out the torrent of other questions in her head.

"No."

"Yes."

From the corner of her eye, Aly noted that Xadrin was glaring at the corner of the room.

"No, we are not soldiers." Xadrin repeated defiantly, "We don't take orders. We work in small teams, not whole companies. We fight to protect people and homes, not at the whims of some war-hungry generals."

"Even so, you fight in wars." VIKI countered. "You take orders from your team leader. Rangers are also known to fight alongside planetary defense with fleets of fighters. Even your claims to protect and defend are reactions to the whims of war-hungry generals."

 _More like a super soldier_ , Aly thought to herself as she finished the final dressing. "So what does that mean for us? Cody, Shawn and me, I mean." She stood up, and took the used tray back to the box in the wall, "We were Rangers during the battle – I understand it was a heat-of-the-moment decision, but what now? What happens next?"

Xadrin stared at her silently, her eyes unreadable.

"You will still be Rangers if you choose so." VIKI chimed in, "The morphers the three of you have are now bound to each of you – they will not take another owner easily. But it is ultimately your decision to use it."

Aly took a moment to digest this information, trying not to panic at the implications. "There should be many of these morphers lying around, right? If we don't use them, it won't really be a waste…"

"No," VIKI replied immediately, "Morphers are extremely rare as they are not simply manufactured. The one you have is part of a set that belonged to a great team of Rangers who lived a long time ago on this ship."

Before she could ask more, Xadrin swayed a little, and Aly caught her right as she was about to fall off the table.

"What happened?" Aly asked VIKI, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No…" Xadrin muttered as she struggled to stay awake. A small whine alerted them to a bed that was moving on its own towards the examination table, stopping right next to it. "I'm just... tired."

"Xadrin had been in pursuit for five days with minimal rest." VIKI explained as Aly helped the other girl to the bed. "The stress of the new injuries on her body had worsened the exhaustion."

Aly grimaced, thinking back to the battle and how Xadrin had saved them over and over. Gently, she tucked the other girl in.

"But you and the others…" Xadrin protested, though her eyes were losing focus.

"We'll be fine. VIKI's here." Aly reassured, following the bed as it slowly wheeled back to its place on the other side of the room, "We'll be here when you wake up. Rest well."

Xadrin was already asleep. For a moment, Aly just stood there and contemplated the sleeping Ranger. What had made her devote herself to a life of putting herself between danger and some strangers?

And if what VIKI said was true, could she do the same?

* * *

When Cody stepped out of the shower, he found his clothes cleaned and neatly folded in the dressing room. They were even slightly warm to the touch. He was amazed – he was only in the shower for what, ten minutes?

Soon after, Shawn entered the dressing room as well, similarly wrapped in towels and marvelling at the cleaned clothes.

"Thank god," he said, "you have no idea how gross it is to stay in your workout clothes for hours."

"I do, actually. I also know how much worse it is to hang out with the person who stay in their workout clothes for hours." Cody grinned, "Glad that you thought of asking VIKI about showers."

Shawn snorted, throwing the shower room next door a backward glance. "Yeah well. I had a feeling that this is a big ship. Just look at the showers – five stalls. There should be more people on the ship."

"Good point," he frowned a little, "but if there are, we should have met them by now. I wonder if we are the only ones on the ship?"

"That is correct." VIKI's voice replied, and both of them jumped.

"VIKI!" Shawn held his towel tighter around his body, while Cody quickly scanned the room for cameras.

He found more than one, and felt his cheeks warm. "VIKI, this is – this is a –" Even as he said it he found it silly. VIKI is an A.I. She might sound human and very female, but she is still a computer. It was ridiculous to be embarrassed by –

"Don't do this again!" Shawn had no qualms about saying it, apparently. "This is supposed to be a private area!"

"Certainly." VIKI replied coolly, although Cody had a sneaking suspicion that she was enjoying this. "The video feed from this room, as well as all other private areas such as residential rooms, are encrypted and will never be shown to others unless explicit permission was given by the persons involved. My cameras cover every inch of space on this ship by design, to ensure optimal functioning of environmental and security systems."

"Well, that's reassuring." Shawn muttered, dressing quickly.

When they were both done, they left the room to find strips of green light lining the left corridor, leading them towards what must be the mess hall that VIKI had mentioned prior to their showers.

"VIKI, how is Xadrin doing?" Cody asked as they set off down the corridors. He recalled very well that Xadrin had gotten shot in the back because she tried to stop Metigor's flying spike from piercing him. He owed her his life now.

"She suffered multiple burns and bruises. Ranger Aly is tending to her now, do not worry."

He cringed at the answer, slowing to a stop. "Can we go see her?"

"She will require a good rest after this. I suggest you see her tomorrow morning."

Shawn waited for him to reply, Cody nodded, and they moved on. VIKI was right. Seeing her would not do her any good.

"What did you call Aly just now, VIKI? 'Ranger' Aly?" Shawn suddenly asked.

"Yes, Ranger Shawn. I address all guests by their formal title unless otherwise instructed."

"Ranger Shawn?" Cody repeated with a grin.

"Ranger Cody," Shawn shot back, snickering. "But wait a minute, when did that become our formal title?"

"When you activated the morphers and fought as Rangers in battle."

Cody sobered up. So that was what it was called. What Xadrin was. "But we only did that for a few minutes. Isn't it a bit… rushed to give us the formal titles?"

"Not to mention that we might not actually want to continue this crazy business." Shawn cut in firmly.

"It is true that your decisions to become Rangers were not made under normal circumstances, but becoming a Ranger is not as reversible as you think." VIKI replied, and Cody saw a look of alarm flashed across Shawn's face. "The morphers given to you are now bound to your essence, and they will not take new owners easily."

"What do you mean? We are stuck with this?" Shawn asked. Silently, Cody tried to grapple with what this meant. Would they face Metigor again? Would they still win the next time?

"While the morphers belong to you now, you may also choose not to use them. As such, to say that you are 'stuck' is incorrect."

The green lights finally ended next to an open door, and curiosity got the better of them at the moment.

The door led to a spacious and welcoming room. To the left was something that looked like a small kitchen, and four long tables that could seat six people each with the two rows of benches on each side. To the right, assorted couches, pillows and chairs in various colors circled a small open space in the middle, making a stark contrast to the rest of the ship's grey efficiency.

"You mentioned that there was no one else on this ship," Cody said as he looked around at the mismatched furniture, "but someone else lived here before, isn't it?"

"That is correct. There was once a Ranger team who lived on board the Ace for years. Some of their morphers have been passed on to you."

In reflex, Cody touched the morpher on his wrist. It looked like a normal digital watch with a square clock face, marked with a strip of red across the bottom. He wondered who once wore this device and bore its burden.

"But you said the morphers won't take new owners?" Shawn was asking.

"I said the morphers would not take new owners _easily_. The Ranger team I refer to lived here twenty Earth-years ago, the morphers have been dormant for just as long."

He exchanged glances with Shawn. That was even before either of them was even born. The ship did not even look like it was twenty years old. What exactly have they gotten themselves into?

"Look, we better start from the beginning," Shawn said, "What exactly are Rangers anyway?"

Knowing that this would likely take some time, Cody gestured at the benches in the kitchen area, and the two of them moved over to settle down on the benches as VIKI started explaining.

"Rangers are a type of warriors defined by their command of Ranger powers, which include the armor and weapons that you have already used during battle, as well as faster reflexes and healing. I had a recent disagreement with Xadrin regarding whether Rangers are soldiers, but Rangers are often at the frontlines of wars, taking on the relatively difficult missions in the name of defense."

"Do they-"

"What kind-"

Both of them stopped, and Cody gestured for Shawn to go first. Shawn continued, "What kind of wars are you talking about? Before this no one on Earth even knows for sure if there are other life forms outside of Earth. But now apparently there are, and you're saying that there are ongoing wars? And someone invented this Ranger technology to win wars?" He turned to study his own morpher as he speak, with what looked like mild distaste on his face.

"Wars have always existed when resources are scarce. As civilizations advanced into space, the scope of wars had expanded into intergalactic scale as well. However, the Ranger technology was not invented to win wars. The earliest Rangers were guardians of their planets, drawing powers from their planets' essence. They do not take any side but that of the weak and unprotected. Even now, Rangers are not under any formal command in any system, and they can refuse to fight any battle they deem inappropriate. Nevertheless, they are bound by honor and duty to protect the weak."

None of them said anything when VIKI finished. Cody had wanted to ask about command chain of Rangers, but it seemed like there was none. Where did this leave them? Metigor had only been forced to a temporary retreat, and would surely return to finish whatever it was he wanted to do. Must they be on standby to fight him? Could they defeat him? What happens if they do not?

Shawn suddenly snorted. "Does this remind you of Jedi Knights?"

Caught off guard by the reply, Cody paused for a moment, then laughed. "Please. This isn't…" he frowned and replayed VIKI's explanation, "Well, I see your point. But-"

"It's not something to joke about," Aly's voice said sternly, and Cody turned to see her entering the mess hall. She did not look happy at all at Shawn's comment. She strode pass them to the kitchen area and pressed something on the control panels – perhaps VIKI had told her how to use it.

"Xadrin suffered multiple burns and bruises from saving all our asses, I think it's very insulting to compare what she did to some Hollywood movie."

"That's not what I meant," Shawn grumbled, looking irritated.

"That's what you said."

"Look, I was trying to lighten up the situation a little," Shawn stood up from the bench as Aly turned around with a cup in her hand.

"That's exactly what I think is inappropriate – this is not something you should joke about."

Cody noticed that she was holding the cup with both hands, perhaps a little too tightly. He studied her defiant face, and thought about what she had been doing before she joined them.

"I am _not_ taking this lightly-"

"Shawn," Cody cut in firmly, "she just came back from the med bay. I don't think you will be in the mood to joke as well if you see what she saw." He turned to Aly, "How is Xadrin doing?"

Aly sighed. "She's resting. VIKI said she was chasing Metigor's ship for the past five days with barely any sleep. Just now she almost collapsed on me."

She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her dark brown hair, "Shawn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump on you like that. If you had seen the burns… she must have known that Metigor's weapon could penetrate the armor, but she fought on anyway. I – I don't know if I could do that."

Shawn shrugged. "Yeah. Did VIKI tell you that little fact about how the morphers are now bound to our 'essence', whatever that means?"

Aly nodded, still looking as though her thoughts are further away.

"We were just talking about it, wondering what we should do." Cody offered, as Shawn walked over to her and try to get a drink as well. Cody followed him.

Wordlessly, Aly taught them how to use the dispenser – which could actually dispense a pretty large variety of drinks and food, most of which he had never heard of. But now was not the time to marvel or experiment. Aly seemed to have gotten hot chocolate, and the two of them just followed suit. When they all have their drinks, they settled down on the first table behind the counter.

Nobody said anything for a while as they nursed their drinks.

"Metigor will be back," Cody stated, figuring it would be good to start with the facts.

"And Xadrin cannot fight him alone." Aly continued, not meeting their eyes.

"We have three morphers," Shawn stared at his own as he said it, fidgeting with the straps.

Cody looked at the two of them in turn, and felt that someone has to get to the point. He said firmly, "And we _can_ help. We did it already, remember?"

As the two of them looked at him, he tried to swat away the memory of Xadrin getting shot as she tried to save him. He could not help what has already happened, but he knew he now faced a choice to help make things better in the future.

"It wasn't much, but it was something." he continued, "And let's face it – Metigor didn't come to Earth to fight Xadrin, he must be planning something big." He paused, and took a deep breath. "I don't know if I will be any good for this. But if the choice is between doing something and being sitting ducks, I'd choose to do something."

Shawn and Aly just stared at him.

After a moment Shawn chuckled, "Well, when you put it like that, it's a clear choice to me. I hate just sitting around and waiting."

Cody almost sighed in relief. He was ready to do something, but he had hoped that he would not be doing it by himself.

And now there was just one more left.

"That was fast," Aly said, slightly surprised.

"Well, you don't have to make a decision now," Cody told her, trying to think ahead and wonder how much time they had. He had no freaking idea, to be honest. But he knew it was a personal choice, and he was aware that it was now two against one.

"Of course not." Aly said, looking away for a moment, "You don't even know the full situation."

"Does that matter?" Shawn challenged, "So what if you know every piece of information? Does that change the choice between action and inaction?"

"You don't even know if that is the full set of choices." Aly retorted, though she did not sound very convinced herself.

"What, is there some middle road between-"

"Guys, guys," Cody held up both hands to stop the two of them from arguing further, "don't start, all right? This is not what we need now. Shawn, this is a very personal choice, and not all of us think about them in the same way. Aly, Shawn has a point. We may never have all the information, you have to be prepared to take a leap of faith."

Cody grinned a little at her, "At least you know the two of us are jumping."

Aly broke into a reluctant smile. "Yeah. Well. Oh right – I promised Xadrin that we would be here when she wakes up. VIKI said it's likely to be tomorrow morning. What should we do now?"

"What time is it?" Shawn wondered out loud.

"It is now 5.42pm, Crystal Falls time." VIKI announced before they could whip out their phones.

"So early?" Shawn said, echoing Cody's surprise. It felt like a long time had passed since the battle in the park.

Seeing the event reminder on his phone for the first time since the battle, Cody realized something with a start. "Crap!" He smacked his head, "I forgot about my date!"

"Your _date_?"

"A girl from campus. I bought a _rose_ for her." He muttered.

"Really?"

"That's really sweet," Aly commented.

Cody was very grateful that she did not say 'aww'. Still, he felt the need to correct the misconception. "I mean balloon. A rose-shaped balloon…" he voice got smaller.

Shawn snickered. Aly giggled, and caught herself. "That's – well, _aww_." And she dissolved into giggles.

"Crap," Cody pretended to bang his head on the table, "crap, crap."

* * *

 **A/N** : Please review and let me know what you think! I'll be proof-reading the other chapters, and aim to update once a week until we reach the end of arc 1. After that, who knows what's going to happen...


	3. Making Plans

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the concept of Power Rangers or any names you may find familiar.

 **Chapter 3 summary:** The new Rangers learn more about the terrifying powers of what they are up against, and make plans. Meanwhile, Xadrin calls her family in Eltare...

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Making Plans**

Xadrin woke with a start. She felt more rested than she had in days. But the white ceiling and the bed beneath her were not what she had expected. It was not her room.

Then she remembered what happened the day before.

She sat up quickly, and cursed as the wound on her back stung mercilessly.

"Sudden movements are not advisable." VIKI suggested, helpfully.

Still trying to balance on her hand and trying not to fall back down, she did not reply immediately. When she felt ready, she found the nearest camera and proclaimed, "Thank you, for the _timely_ advice."

"You are welcome." VIKI replied. She must be in a good mood today – and yes, Xadrin was positive that VIKI had moods, even though she had only lived on the Ace for a few days. VIKI would find ways to make them known, such as dispensing _helpful_ advice.

Just then, she realized that a small table had wheeled over and parked itself next to the bed, serving up a tray with a glass of water and a small shot of nasty looking liquid.

She took a few sips of water first, staring at the liquid in resignation. "Can't you make them look better?"

"Previous experience had shown that the appearance of the medicine has no correlation with how compliant patients are. Therefore, it is suboptimal to waste resources on the matter."

Xadrin rolled her eyes, and gulped down the liquid. She made a face at the camera.

"While you were asleep, three recorded messages have arrived from Eltare."

She almost spat out the water she just sipped. _Three_. "What time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"It is now 11.24am Crystal Falls time. You have been asleep for more than sixteen hours."

"Crystal Falls?"

"The town where the other Rangers come from."

"Oh." The other Rangers. Messages from Eltare. Metigor no doubt planning an attack. She was starting to feel a headache coming up. Message from home, or the Rangers first?

"Who sent the messages?"

"Two came from the Red Ranger, and one from your parents. The messages from your brother came first."

Well, Xander was probably trying to warn her that her parents had finally found out about her little hunt. And her parents – well. She could guess what they would say.

She sighed. "Where are the other Rangers?"

"They are training in the simulator room."

"What?" Among the possible answers, this was the one she least expected. "Why are they – do they even know what was going on?"

"They are now aware about Rangers and their bond to the morphers they carry. As of two hours ago, all three of them have decided to remain Rangers. You were still asleep when they returned to the ship this morning, and I suggested that they try the programs in the simulator room to assess their training needs."

Xadrin opened her mouth, and closed it. How could things change so fast while she slept? She had given the morphers to them out of desperation in the field, though they had already shown that they deserve them. If they had decided to remain Rangers, were they her teammates now? What about Xander and the others back home?

But Metigor was here. He must be planning something. She could not return home now and leave this new team in the lurch.

She needed to talk to them. She flipped open her covers, and swung her leg down – "Blasted!"

"I believe I mentioned sudden movements were not advisable. It is also not advisable for you to leave your bed-"

"Shut up, VIKI. Bring me a crutch."

* * *

The man in black snuck past Aly's defense, and landed another kick to her side. She bit back a curse, and charged again. The faceless mask betray nothing at all as he blocked all her attacks with ease, and countered with faster and faster blows.

And suddenly, she fell on her back, and blinked up at the ceiling. She did not even know how it happened.

Cody's face came into sight, upside down. He offered a hand.

"What the hell." She grumbled as she took the offered hand, and got up. "I swear he got progressively better during the spar. That's not fair." The faceless man stood motionlessly on the mat a few feet away, waiting for the command to start another round.

Cody shrugged. "You knew it was a test. He was programmed to get better and better until he beat you."

Aly knew, of course. But it was one thing to watch Cody fight until his current 'level' of hand-to-hand combat competency was determined, and another to try to fight someone, knowing that he will best you eventually.

"Well," she said, testing the various places where she got hit with a grimace, "I am more curious about how they make everything so real and _solid_."

The simulator room was not to be underestimated. When the three of them arrived, it was merely a big, empty room with literally nothing in it. Yet at VIKI's command, the room – about the size of a soccer field – was divided into three stations by walls that just materialized. The walls, along with the any other object thereafter, including the virtual sparring partner, were completely solid. If she had not seen them materialize out of thin air, she could have sworn that they were real.

She shot another glance at the faceless man. Hand-to-hand combat was her final station, and she knew that she sucked at it. She barely lasted a minute. She was pretty sure she sucked at the flight test as well, which was the station that Cody just passed. She could only console herself that she was at least quite decent at shooting.

"Let's go see if Shawn is done." Cody said, and she followed eagerly. She was curious to see how she fared among the rest.

As they crossed over to the next station, they caught a glimpse of the final two dummies appearing and two separate corners, and Shawn firing rapidly with a hand-held laser gun. He hit both.

With the program over, VIKI displayed his score on the screen next to the table he stood behind.

Cody whistled. "Impressive!"

Aly hid a smile. Her own score was slightly better than Shawn's – so she was at least good at something.

"That's not bad." Xadrin's voice drifted over, and all of them turn around to find her standing at the door, supporting herself with a crutch.

"Xadrin!" Cody jogged over, "Are you sure you're supposed to be out of bed?"

Aly frowned as both she and Shawn followed close behind. Xadrin was still looking rather pale, and she seemed to be breathing rather heavily.

Still, her expression was defiant as she swatted away Cody's help as she lowered herself into a newly conjured chair next to the door. The door slid shut as three other chairs materialized around Xadrin. They took the hint, and sat down.

"I'm feeling much better," Xadrin said as if she meant it, "thank you. And I should have said this earlier – thank you, for saving my life yesterday."

Aly saw her own surprise mirrored in the others' faces. They were so caught up in the fact that becoming Rangers had turned the tide of the battle, that they almost forgot that their initial intention was to help Xadrin.

"Well, you saved ours as well," Cody said finally, leaning back on the chair.

"Yeah, we saved each other. And I suggest we stop here." Shawn remarked with a grin, "Otherwise, we will never move on."

They chuckled, and were silent for a moment. It was a comfortable sort of silence.

Aly toyed with her morpher unconsciously, and she found Xadrin looking at it. "VIKI told me that you have decided to remain Rangers." She said finally, and looked around at them.

"We have." Cody replied, looking at both Aly and Shawn, as if asking for permission to be their spokesperson. They nodded at him. "We know Metigor is coming back. And he probably has some nasty plans for Earth. If we are the only ones who could use these," he held up his hand to show the morpher, "then we will do what we can."

"Do you even know what you are getting yourselves into?" Xadrin asked, her face unreadable.

As if on cue, both Cody and Shawn turned to Aly. This was her refrain last night, after all. "Probably a lot of trouble. A lot of dangerous situations." She started, as if running through her own internal debate as she lay awake in her dorm last night, "But we would have a fighting chance. If Metigor threatens our families or friends, at least we could fight back."

Xadrin's expression had softened at the mention of families and friends, as if she understood. She nodded. "There is something else about Metigor that you need to know. His species has a unique ability. Remember the spikes on his arms?"

They nodded. Aly did not think anyone who had seen those monstrous-looking spikes would forget them easily.

"They are highly poisonous. Its venom will stay in the victim's body, and forced it to obey Metigor's commands." Xadrin continued grimly, "In other words, Metigor could control minds."

Their jaws dropped.

" _Mind-control_?"

Xadrin nodded. "It gets worse. Most members of his species could only control one mind at a time, limiting their potential for damage. Metigor somehow found a way to control many at a time. His most notorious crime was the massacre of an _entire city's_ inhabitants, presumably by getting the inhabitants kill each other, and set the whole city ablaze."

Aly sucked in a quick breath, imagining the horror of a city of people killing each other. She felt a chill down her spine.

Shawn cursed under his breath.

"But…" Cody took a moment to find the words, "But why wasn't he caught? There must be a large number of people wanting to catch him if they could…"

"There are," Xadrin said softly, her eyes seeing something they could not, "but that's the thing. He disappeared. For _years_. For the first few years there was an intergalactic alliance to hunt him down. But in the past few years the war took greater priority. I never expected him to be the thief I thought I was hunting."

Aly was torn between asking more about the war and the more urgent question of what Metigor was doing on Earth now.

Shawn beat her to it. "What would he want from Earth?"

Nobody was willing to venture a guess. The slain city Xadrin mentioned hung heavily in the air, unspoken.

But something didn't add up for Aly. She forced the vivid pictures of burnt cities out of her mind, and tried to focus on what the likely motivation was.

"Why would he want to massacre a whole city?" she wondered out loud, "If Metigor accomplished something beyond what most of his species was capable of, he must be paying some price for it. Or at least, it would require greater effort. Why put in the effort to poison the entire city, just to kill them all?"

"Maybe he couldn't control them as expected," Cody picked up, his eyes sharp but grim, "And that's why he disappeared – he needed to refine his… technique, whatever it is."

"And now he has perfected it." Shawn continued, eyes wide.

"That's just speculation." Xadrin muttered with a frown, "You can't prove anything. The alliance –" she paused, and sighed before continuing, "My family was part of the alliance that hunted him."

"Your family?" Cody repeated in surprise.

Xadrin nodded, "My brother is the Red Ranger of Eltare, my home planet. He was part of the team that led the hunt. I've sat in on the meetings. Trust me, they have been through every angle of this." She suddenly looked down, and said very quietly, "One of our younger cousins was in that city."

Aly winced at what that meant. Cody, sitting right next to Xadrin, reached out hesitantly, and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She nodded silently in acknowledgement.

She took a deep breath, and looked up again. Her eyes were too bright, but also determined. "Whatever he wanted, the people on your planet are in great danger. Even if he doesn't kill, he could build an army –" she stopped, frowning.

"An army of humans?" Shawn picked up that train of thought, "Would that be useful to him?"

"I…" Xadrin finally sighed, "I don't know. I think I need to talk to my brother."

Aly did not know what to say. There were so, so many questions, and no easy answers.

"Well," Cody started after a few moments of heavy silence. "This is getting nowhere. Why don't we grab something to eat, and think about what to do next after lunch?"

Shawn raised his hand, "I second that."

Xadrin chuckled, "Right, I'm starving! Let's go!" This time, she accepted Cody's hand as she got up, making a face as he handed her the crutch. But she didn't complain further, and followed Cody out the door.

Aly imagined an army of humans controlled by Metigor. She imagined her younger brother, her parents among them. She imagined the army advancing on her, and her standing alone and frozen on the spot…

"Coming?" Shawn was by the door, waiting.

She snapped back to reality, and nodded at him.

No, she would not be standing alone, if it comes down to it. She would probably get into a lot of trouble, a lot of dangerous situations as she said, but she would not be standing alone. And that made her feel that she was ready.

* * *

Lunch was a mostly quiet affair. Xadrin seemed lost in her own thoughts, while all the things Cody wanted to say or ask seem to lead inevitably back to Metigor's plans for Earth. But it did seem like all of them were starving – they ate quietly but quickly, and soon all they all had empty plates.

Their earlier unfinished discussion hung silently in the air.

"We have to strike first." Xadrin said unexpectedly. She looked up from her own plate, her eyes cold and calm, "If Metigor really wants to build an army of humans, we have to stop him before he does."

Cody himself had been thinking exactly the same thing. With the powers that Metigor had – what if he really did build up a human army? Could they fight fellow humans who did not have control over their actions?

"That's much easier said than done." Shawn muttered, even though he seemed to agree.

"It always is." Xadrin replied without batting an eyelid, "We just need to work out a plan to take him down. We know where his ship is now."

Cody looked around the others, noting their reluctance to point out the obvious fact. And so he did. "Even so, do you think we can do it? You heard the summary VIKI gave – the three of us barely mastered the basics in the different combat skills. I hate to say this, but if we rush to strike first, we might drag you down."

Shawn frowned. "We can't be that bad. We forced a retreat last time, remember? If we just train together a little more, work on our tactics, I don't think we'll lose."

"Frankly, I think we got lucky." Aly said, meeting Shawn in the eye, "We caught him by surprise – he couldn't have been expecting four Rangers on a planet that had not establish any intergalactic contact. Next time, he'll be ready. Maybe he'll – Xadrin, do you know if he has any accomplice?"

Xadrin thought for a moment. "Not that we know of. He's never had any known accomplice. And when he stole the ship, there was no sign of anyone else with him."

"Well, that's at least one piece of good news." Shawn muttered.

"Yes," Cody said firmly, they needed all the good news they could get. "It is. Now we just need to find out what else he is capable of. Aly is right – he will be ready next time. We need to know about the weapons he had, or anything else – like a giant tub of his venom stored up in the ship or something. We need to do some recon."

Xadrin nodded, "Good point. We know the ship location. We should have a recon mission before we strike."

"What if we do both?" Aly suddenly said, "What if we do recon and strike while we are at it? Xadrin said his ship is a stolen cargo ship – I bet the layout plans can be found. If we had the chance, we could try to disable his communication or navigation systems – trap him, isolate him."

Cody's eyes widened at the idea, and saw his surprise mirrored on Xadrin's eyes.

"That," Shawn said slowly as he repeated the plan in his head, "is a _freaking_ good idea."

Xadrin immediately requested VIKI to look for the cargo ship's layout plans, only to have VIKI surprise them with it. VIKI must have started searching for the plans as soon as Aly made her suggestion.

With the ship layout projected in 3D into the middle of the lounge area next to the kitchen, the team shifted over, and started discussing how to execute the plan. It was as if they were on a roll – ideas flowed freely, and they were critiqued and refined as quickly as they came. And slowly but surely, their plan took shape.

Hours later, the team plopped down onto the colorful couches and chairs, exhausted but exhilarated.

"Wow." Cody exclaimed, rubbing his face with his palms. He couldn't help but marvel at what a good team they were turning out to be. With them on his side, he felt like he could take on anything.

"Yes, wow," Shawn said from the next couch, "I don't think I can do anything else today. I feel like I fried my brain."

Aly laughed. "I feel exactly opposite – I don't think I can sleep tonight."

With mock disgust, Shawn threw a pillow at her. She caught it happily, and grinned back.

Xadrin chuckled. "Whatever it is, let's call it a day for now. You guys deserve a break."

She looked down at her injured leg, and lightly massaged it. "Five days." She said, her expression serious again. "VIKI said I would be combat-ready in five days. That's when we'll strike. You will have to be ready."

"We know." Cody said quietly, seeing the same determination in the others' eyes. "We'll start training tomorrow morning."

"Let's just hope that Metigor doesn't strike first," Aly muttered, "five days… can be a long time."

Shawn made a face. "Don't jinx us. And besides, we are doing what we can do. No point worrying about things we have no control over. Just focus on the training."

For a moment Cody thought Aly would retort, but in the end she just nodded. Xadrin smiled slightly at that.

Shawn was right. There were too many things that they had no control over. They could argue forever about the what-ifs, or they could use the time to focus on what they could do. And focus they would.

* * *

Xadrin fidgeted in her seat as the live link to Eltare was being established. She could not remember the last time when she felt nervous about talking to her parents. Even when they disapproved, she was always sure of her own choices, always defiant. But this time, her choices would affect the fate of a planet, and three fellow Rangers whom she had come to like.

The insignia of Eltarean Rangers flashed into view, and Xadrin took a deep breath, waiting for them to pick up the call. They must have just finished dinner, if she calculated correctly.

Her mother's face blinked into view, smiling in relief. "Xaddie! Where have you been?"

Her father came into the picture, and sat down next to her mother with a scowl. Xadrin tried not to wince.

"Hi mum, dad." She said, forcing a smile. "How's everything?"

"You are the one to ask." her father said, "Did you care about 'everything' when you took the Ace and just flew off?"

"Xarues," her mother chided, "you heard Xander. She felt personally responsible for the ship theft. She took off after it because she cared."

Xadrin was reminded again of how much she loved her brother. Even when he disapproved, he was always one step ahead of her, soothing their parents' anger and building escape routes for her. She silently resolved to thank him properly when she got back home.

Her father gave her mother a look, and reluctantly let it go. "So where are you now? Ready to come home yet?"

She noted how he deliberately avoided asking if she had caught the thief. She wondered whether it was because he was confident that she had, or whether he was sure she didn't, and did not want to dent her pride by pointing it out. She felt both comforted and indignant, almost like a child again – but this was not the time for that.

"I'm at a system orbiting a planet called Earth. I – is Xander home?" She asked, knowing that all of them had a right to hear this from her, "I need to make a formal report to him as well. This is – this is not just a ship theft."

Her parents exchanged a look, and her father turned around and called out to his brother. Her mother was beginning to look worried. "Xaddie, is everything all right? Are you all right?" Xadrin saw her squinting at the screen, as if she could see through the light years between them and –

"Why is there a crutch in your room?"

"What-?" she turned around quickly to check – only to cry out in pain as the wound on her back reminded her of its existence. She cursed quietly.

"—what happened?" her father demanded.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she croaked, cursing herself for not checking if the blasted crutch was out of sight. She dreaded turning back to face her parents now.

"You are certainly being very convincing." Xander's voice drawled, and as Xadrin glanced back at the screen, she saw that he was leaning over the back of the couch their parents sat on, his grim expression a stark contrast to his casual posture and tone. Her mother's expression was strained, and her father's sternness could not completely hide his concern.

She sighed. "I'm sitting here talking with you, aren't I?" Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry I made you worry. But I have bigger news." She paused, and continued when she found that there was no better way to say it.

"The thief I was chasing was not just anyone. He is Metigor."

A beat.

" _What_?"

Xander had straightened up, and her father looked like he was about to jump out of his seat. Her mother gripped his hand.

"He caught me by surprise." Xadrin explained, "But I think I caught him by surprise too. I don't have any idea what he is doing on Earth. We have some theories –"

"Xaddie, _are you all right?_ " Her mother asked urgently.

Even her brother was showing open concern now. "Just give us a straight answer, Xaddie. Or do you want us to ask VIKI for a medical report?"

"I really am fine now. Please don't worry." She sighed, "Metigor had a grade-nine laser weapon. I…" she avoided their gaze, "… took a couple of hits."

Her mother gasped. Both her parents used to be Rangers in their younger days. They knew what it meant – what happened when a grade-nine laser penetrates, what the burns looked like.

"When did this happen?" Her father asked, his voice strained with cold fury, "Where is he now?"

"Yesterday." She replied, and shook her head when she realized it wasn't actually true. "Almost two days ago now. I slept through most of yesterday."

"What happened?" Xander asked quietly.

And so she told them the full story. About how three strangers came to her aid, how the same strangers were now her teammates. Her father had snapped at her for giving away the morphers so easily, but he let it go when her mother pointed out that without the other Rangers, she might not be sitting here now.

And finally, she told them of their plan. And she braced herself.

"Absolutely not!"

"Are you _crazy_?"

"Your team is completely untrained –"

"You don't know what tricks he has –"

" – and you won't have any planetary defense to back you up –"

"- four days! I don't care what VIKI said, are you sure you can even walk properly in four days?"

"I will be morphed, mum." She said quickly, finally getting a word in.

"You will hardly be at full strength." Her father said, his eyes full of disapproval.

"Look, I get it," Xadrin replied just as Xander was about to add on, "it's not the best time to do this. But time is the thing we don't have. Earth has over six billion humans – that's more than twice the population of Eltare!"

The mildest surprise flashed across her family's faces, and she quickly continued, "We know what Metigor is capable of. Even if he gets just one human under his control, that is one more casualty we cannot afford. The more humans he controls, the harder it will be to fight him. If this gets out of hand he could supply a large number of soldiers to turn the tide of war."

Their faces were grim. Xadrin knew that they would see the big picture. She had always respected their expertise and experience, even if she liked to challenge them. Sometimes, she even wished she was not their daughter, and they would see her as the Ranger she was. But only sometimes.

"This may not be the frontline or Eltare, but I still have a duty to see this through. You know I do."

Her mother sniffed openly, trying to get her emotions in check. "But your odds are not favorable at all… maybe we will come help you!"

Her eyes widened at the suggestion, "No, you can't! You and dad have retired for so long, we don't know if your immunity to the venom still works. We can't afford to have you fall under Metigor's control."

"Then Xander will…" Even as she said it, her mother knew Xander couldn't. As the leader of the Eltarean Rangers in a time of war, he cannot be absent, and neither could any of his teammates.

"You know he can't, mom."

Xander took a deep breath. "I'll find someone. Give me one day, and I'll send backup your way."

Xadrin smiled a little, "Do you think you can convince the Council to spare resources in _one_ day? Chances are, you won't even get them in a room and talking to each other by the time I'm done."

"One day." Xander repeated. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

No, Xadrin thought. Not when it mattered. But knowing from experience the sheer impossibility of the Council to be efficient, she thought her brother might be pushing his luck this time.

"Just stay focused on the frontline, Xander." She finally said, "Don't get distracted by me. _And_ ," she dragged on the word, "maybe I didn't emphasize this enough, our primary objective is reconnaissance. Taking down Metigor's comm and navigation is secondary. We won't engage until we are sure of our chances."

Xander and her father exchanged a glance, while her mother looked away. They all knew how carefully designed plans tend to work out.

Xadrin knew too as well, of course. So she felt the need to elaborate, "And my team here is not that bad. Cody – the Red Ranger – is pretty shrewd; he knows how to manage the team. The Blue Ranger, Aly, is turning out to be a sharp strategist. And Shawn – he's the Black Ranger – he could react to situations very quickly by simplifying the options, which is a great complement to the others who might overanalyze –" she yawned uncontrollably, "and – "

"Xaddie," her father sighed. "We get it. Get some sleep."

"And _please_ take care of yourself." Her mother said, her voice strained.

She smiled weakly. "I will. You too."

"And remember, just give me one day." Xander said, his hands gripping the back of the couch tightly. "I promise –"

"I know." She said quietly. "Say hi to the team for me. Tell them not to worry."

For a moment no one said anything else. They just stared at each other, trying to stretch this moment.

At last, her father straightened up. "Go to bed."

She nodded. "I love you."

They echoed back. And the link was cut.

For a long time she just stared at the blank screen, replaying the conversation in her head. She thought back to her last conversation with them before this, and recalled with a pang of regret that she had been in a hurry to leave, and had lied to them so that she could sneak off to chase the thief she had inadvertently helped.

She had thought that she would be back latest in a day, and life would be back to normal after some minor scolding. She would train with the team again, fight alongside them, joke around with them, pull a few pranks…

Growing up as the youngest in a family of warriors, and among a strong and close-knit team, she was always fiercely protected, she knew. She had long wanted to prove herself – or perhaps to prove _to_ herself that she was just as good.

And now she had the chance, thousands of light years away, with the fate of a planet and the tide of war on her shoulders.

She got up slowly from her seat, and limped towards her bed, wiping her wet cheeks carelessly. She needed the sleep. She had work to do.

* * *

Half an hour after the call with his sister ended, Xander was at the control room at the base, facing his team. They were not in uniform, but they were alert and on standby.

Xander leaned forward and rested his elbows on the round table, looking around at his team. "I have bad news."

"We know." Rakan drawled. "You know we won't forgive you if you drag us back to base at this hour for useless announcements."

"Useless announcements at any time are unforgivable, to be honest." Brecian commented lightly with his arms folded.

Outsiders might think that they were being inappropriate by cracking jokes in times like this, but Xander knew that it was their way of making him feel better. No matter how bad it got, they will move forward together.

"I spoke with Xaddie."

The room tensed.

"Is she all right?" Meryl asked the question on everyone's mind. Xander reached out and gave his lover's hands a gentle squeeze.

He chose his words carefully. "She found Metigor." There was a collective gasp. "He was the thief she was hunting. They fought. She walked away, but not unscratched."

"How badly?" Nirra asked, tensed with worry.

"Grade-nine weapon. She said she took 'a couple of hits'." Someone hissed in pity. "She's using crutches, so I'm guessing it was her leg and her back."

Rakan cursed, and shook his head. "That girl… she's so going to hear from me when she gets back."

"Do that." Xander muttered, "I'll just be happy _if_ she gets back."

"Xander, that's not helping." Brecian snapped. "What do you mean? Just tell us the whole story already."

He curled his fists tightly, and slowly released them. Then he told them the whole story, and Xadrin's so-called plan.

When he finished, Rakan slammed his fist on the table, and cursed.

"That's too reckless." Meryl commented, "Even for her."

"But I see her need for urgency." Nirra said quietly. "She's right, time is not on their side."

"Why don't we just go over?" Rakan said, and even then he knew how unlikely it was, and corrected himself, "Some of us? At least one of us _not_ on crutches?"

"Time is not on our side either. We need one full day to reach that galaxy, and one full day back." Nirra said, ever the voice of reason, "And who knows how long it'd take to defeat Metigor. With the frequency of attacks lately, I don't think any of us can afford to leave."

"But-"

Brecian cut off Rakan's protest, "Xander, you look like you have something in mind. Care to share?"

He nodded his thanks at his official second-in-command. "I do. You guys are right that we should do something to help her. We can't go, and the Council won't mobilize fast enough to be of help at the moment. I have one person in mind, and I'm taking all of you off duty tomorrow to find him."

"Who would want to take on Metigor – oh." Brecian seemed to realize whom it must be.

"Him?" Rakan seemed to have gotten it as well, though he did not seem convinced.

"He's not the same person we used to know anymore," Nirra warned, "you know that."

Meryl gave him a quick look. "He's not. No one can stay the same after what happened. But I still trust him; I know he still has a good heart."

Brecian raised his eyebrow. "Have you heard of the crowd he's been hanging out with? They are borderline criminals."

" _Borderline_." Xander emphasized. "He's the best option we have – not a Ranger we cannot spare, not attached to any defense forces, but someone we know, someone trained, someone with a personal stake in this. The 'crowd' he hangs out with might also give him the resources to reach there in time."

"What you said is true," Nirra admitted, "But I met him a few months ago. You won't believe how much he hates us."

"He does?" Rakan frowned. All of them used to be friends. If things had not turn out as they did, perhaps he would be sitting at this table, too.

"He hates Rangers in general, I suppose."

Xander shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Trust me, I'm not happy with sending him to Xaddie – he's almost as much an unknown as Metigor. But he is still family. He has to – he will help."

"Let's find him."

* * *

 **A/N:** I found some extra time this weekend, and thus here's an extra chapter this week! The next one will be up by next weekend.


	4. Conflicts and Capture

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Power Rangers.

 **Chapter 4 summary:** In which the Rangers realized that working as a team was harder than expected, and plans go out the window...

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Conflicts and Capture**

"Again." Xadrin commanded, almost as soon as the red lights started flashing. Shawn was beginning to hate the red lights.

They had been in training since morning, when they started with individualized training programmes designed by VIKI. It was grueling, to say the least. VIKI did aim to push them past their limits. Lunch was a quiet affair until Xadrin joined them, looking fresher than she had been the day before. The afternoon was devoted to group training, and rehearsals of the plan by simulating the interior of Metigor's ship.

They had been at it for hours. And each time, when they fail – that is, meeting 'Metigor' mid-way through and failing to adapt in time – the red lights start flashing. It must have done it at least twenty times now.

As VIKI dissolved the walls for a minute for them to cross quickly back to the starting point, Shawn caught Aly's eyes as she walked over. She glared at him.

"What did I do?" he asked when she got near enough.

For a moment she continued glaring at him, looking as if she wanted to say something. Then, "Nothing."

It had been a long day. Shawn did not have time for this. "Look, just get on with it. I know you want to say something."

"Fine." She snapped, "This is supposed to be a rehearsal of the plan. Why do you keep going off the plan without warning? You need to give your team some heads-up-"

"Come on, it was a tactical decision. If you can see what I saw-"

"That's the thing, we can't! We are placed at _different locations_ -"

"What's wrong?" Xadrin demanded as she hobbled over, just as Cody joined them as well. Shawn turned to snap at her for interrupting – only to bite back his words. Despite being the shortest among them and on crutches, Xadrin could look intimidating when she wanted to.

"He doesn't communicate with his team when he decides to change the plan-"

Shawn rolled his eyes. "We are supposed to be on _radio-silence_ once we are on board-"

"That's not the only way to communicate!"

"Oh yeah, and you know so well about comm-"

"Enough." Xadrin snapped. "Listen to yourselves. You guys are like children. You need to learn to trust each other."

"Trust is about communication—"

"Oh don't you start." Shawn warned.

"Look, let's have a break, all right?" Cody literally stepped in between them. "We haven't had one since lunch, I know everyone's tired."

Cody turned to Xadrin for support. But Xadrin gave them all a cold look, turned around, and left. Cody looked slightly surprised, but turned back to them first. "Be back in half an hour."

As Cody went to follow Xadrin, Shawn exchanged another glare with Aly, and they both set of to different directions. She went to the rest area to grab a drink, and he went to the practice mats and summoned a punching bag.

He started hitting. Over, and over, and over. Their plan, which had seemed genius the day before, was becoming more and more laughable. Both Aly and Cody react to changes in ways he never expected, and what seemed obvious to him never occur to their minds. At least Cody could match him quickly.

He was becoming more and more convinced that they were going to be killed. Or the mission will be a complete failure. And they would fail everyone on Earth. They were just random people who happened to be at the park when the first attack occurred. They were not a team. Maybe they never will be.

* * *

"Hey!" Cody needed to almost jog to catch up with Xadrin. For someone on crutches, she was surprisingly fast.

And she was also ignoring him, it seemed.

"Xadrin!"

She stopped, just as he stopped beside her.

"What was that about?"

When she turned to face him, her face was tight with fury. "What do you mean?"

"Calling them children. Looking at us like we are worthless." He kept his tone and face carefully neutral. He did feel stung when she looked at them like that.

"They are behaving like children." She snapped, and started walking forward at a slower pace. Cody followed. "And I didn't look at you like you are worthless. I look at you and I…" she trailed off, looking away.

Cody had a feeling he know what she meant. "See dead people?"

She looked at him in mild shock.

He sighed. "I know what you must be thinking. I thought we were good when we came up with the plan. But now I think we must be crazy." he smiled weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "I can see why you think lowly of our chances."

Xadrin smiled reluctantly back. "You seem to be taking that well."

He shrugged. "It is true. There is no point in being angry at the truth. We just need to figure out a way around it."

She raised an eyebrow. "And your suggestion is…?"

"I still need to think about it." He said truthfully. "But I don't think snapping at them or calling them children will help."

"And there you were, saying there is no point in being angry at the truth." She retorted. "I was pointing out the truth."

Cody widened his eyes in mild surprise at having his own words thrown back at him. "That's not the truth. They have been trying very hard – they are just trying to understand each other."

"With all their arguing and not listening to each other?"

"Yes," Cody said firmly, feeling his own patience running thin. "Just because they are not doing it correctly doesn't mean that they're not trying. We need to help them sort it out."

"How do you propose we do that?" Xadrin challenged, "Hold their hands and ask them to play nice with each other? They need to sit down and sort it out themselves. We don't have time for all this."

"We don't have time to waste on them not working well together." He snapped, frustrated, "You need to think of them as people, not as some soldiers who follow whatever you say."

Something flashed across her face, as if he touched a nerve. "I've _never_ thought of any of you as soldiers," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "And I've never asked any of you to follow everything I say. I am _trying_ to keep you alive."

Taken aback by her reaction, he was at a loss for words for a moment. Xadrin took that moment to walk away. He cursed, and turned to walk the opposite way.

* * *

Aly took a spoonful of ice cream and closed her eyes at the feeling of pure bliss. The buzz at the diner around her was foreign but rather soothing. She did not care what the other diners or the others on the team might think of her for coming back down to Earth for dinner alone, and she was extremely glad that she did.

It was the end of the second day of training. She had started the day with aches all over that reminded her of the previous day's training. And today's training was similarly relentless. It did not help that she barely spoke to Shawn, who still had a tendency to change plans without warning. They had just managed to bite their tongue and not each other's head off. Cody tried to get them talking, but whenever they did, it felt like they were seconds away from yelling at each other. And so he stopped trying. She did not see much of Xadrin at all, except for a few instances when she caught a glimpse of her watching their training, her expression unreadable.

She was exhausted. The thought of trying to be social during dinner conversation was just too much to bear. She wouldn't be surprised if she weren't the only one who took some time to be alone after all that.

She opened her eyes again and surveyed the activity in the diner. It was towards the tail end of the peak hour, and waiters were starting to clean some tables, or lingered at some tables for a few chats, and the screaming kids were being dragged back towards waiting cars outside. It was so normal that it was familiar and yet strangely foreign. She felt herself just soaking in this feeling as she finished her ice cream.

A conversation between two waiters at the counter next to her caught her interest.

"… he just disappeared! He always comes."

"Maybe he found a job somewhere. Somewhere to stay."

"He would have told me. I've fed – well, I gave him the leftovers for so long." Aly was surprised, they were talking about a homeless man? "And that's just not all! My friend in that Italian restaurant, she said a homeless woman she used to help was gone as well!"

"So what's your point?"

"Maybe someone has taken them off the streets."

"Why do you care? Nobody cares about those people."

Aly froze. Homeless people disappearing. _Nobody cares about those people_. Metigor's plan to build a human army. Could it – could it be that Metigor has been kidnapping these people? Now that he was aware that there were four Rangers guarding the planet, perhaps he did not feel confident enough about confronting them in the open yet. Maybe he felt the need to slowly build the army. Starting with people that no one would be missing.

Slowly, she put down the spoon. Her mind was racing. Was that thought too far-fetched? Should she notify the team? But what would they do? No, she told herself, it was way too soon. There was too little information to make any meaningful decision. She needed more information. She needed to investigate.

She could just look around the area and monitor the homeless who were still there. She could just wait for a few hours. Maybe nothing would happen at all.

But should she tell the team? It was still too premature. She would tell VIKI, maybe. Yes, just let VIKI know about her plan. She and the rest were only expected back on the Ace tomorrow morning anyway.

She lingered at the diner until it closed around 11pm, reading a book that she had brought from her dorm to the Ace. Then, she set out for a walk.

She opened a private line to the Ace as she walked, pretending to scratch her chin so that she did not look like an idiot talking to her watch.

"VIKI, I heard a few homeless people have disappeared over the last two days. I'm going to investigate a little tonight."

"Shall I inform the team?"

"No. It's too premature. It's just a little gossip I heard. It might not be anything at all." She suddenly realized that it seemed silly to inform VIKI if she kept denying the need to inform anyone else, and so added hastily, "This is just in case – erm, in case anyone asks."

"Understood. Please be careful, Aly."

"Sure. Thanks." As she cut off the line, she wondered if it was a good thing to request that VIKI drop the title 'Ranger' whenever she addressed her. The rest of the team had done it as well, of course, but it made VIKI sound even more human than she already did. It was unnerving, to say the least.

A few blocks down, she found a 24-hour convenience store that overlooked an alley. A homeless man was sitting by the corner of the alley, a pile of assorted cardboards and other materials just around the corner. It looked like he slept there. And so she went into the convenience store, bought a coffee, and settled down on one of the three seats by the window.

The coffee proved essential. It gave her mind the extra jolt she needed to reflect on the past few days, a luxury she did not have while on the ship. She thought about her choice to stay and help, and about how she just wanted to do what she could. Looking at the trainings they had so far, she wondered if that was just pure hubris – she was not cut out for this. She was a girl who loved math and reading. She was proud to be an engineering major. She was not cut out for covert missions or combat.

 _Stop whining_ , she told herself. It was something she would chide her younger brother for. And she needed to walk the talk. She needed to focus on getting the job done.

Grimly, she sipped her coffee.

Just before midnight, a flash of silver caught her eye. She sat up straight. There it was. Two figures in what seemed to be like light metallic _armor_. Two…?

She was out of the store in a flash. The two figures were holding up the struggling man, and seemed as if they were aiming what seemed like a handgun at him.

"Hey!" She shouted, just as the gun was about to fire. The two figures turned – and she rammed a kick into one, and punched the other. The homeless man pulled free, and tried to run towards the street. Aly fended off a few blows from the masked figures, and heard another shout behind her.

As she turned, the homeless man fell, something protruding on his shoulder. Two more masked figures stood behind him, one holding the gun. Shocked, she quickly reached her morpher –

\- and felt a sharp pain on her left side. She cried out, and turned around to fend off metallic hands trying to grab her. She managed to kick them off, but felt her world suddenly spinning around her. The alley seemed to grow even darker. Something knocked her from behind, but she barely felt it as her world turned completely black.


	5. Escape

**Chapter 5: Escape**

For the first time in a long while, Xadrin woke up to the sound of alarms blaring. She sat up – remembering just in time to do it slowly – and asked VIKI what was going on.

"Aly is missing."

"What?" she quickly got up and changed. As she did, her mood turned increasingly grim as VIKI updated her about Aly's little message last night, and the fact that VIKI could no longer reach her morpher.

When she arrived at the bridge, Cody and Shawn were already there, grim with worry.

"VIKI told you?" Cody asked.

She nodded, settling down on the nearest seat and resting her crutch next to it.

"And she was the one going on and on about communicating-"

Cody cut Shawn off sternly, "Now is not the time for this."

"He's right." Xadrin said, and Cody turned to her in mild surprise. "She should have told us about this. We would have provided backup."

"Aly was of the opinion that it was too premature to notify you." VIKI chimed in. For a moment, Xadrin wondered if VIKI could experience guilt. But it did not matter. If that was a direct instruction from Aly, and VIKI would not be able to override it.

So she asked instead, "Was there any teleportation signal detected?"

"Negative."

Shawn sat up straight. "Does that mean that she is still on Earth?"

"Not necessarily." VIKI replied before she could explain, "It is possible to cloak teleportation signals. However, it is not a common technology."

"Metigor is likely to have it though. Now he knows he needs to use it." Xadrin muttered, wondering what they should do now. So much for the so-called plan. She turned to glare at the crutch next to her seat. Two more days. They did not have two more days.

"Look, let's try to figure out what could have happened and where Aly would be." Cody started, looking at both of them. "Aly said she heard a few homeless people disappeared over the last two days and she wanted to investigate. What was she thinking of?"

"Metigor." Both Xadrin and Shawn said in unison.

"Metigor could be kidnapping homeless people to start building his army." Shawn said, eyes wide.

"And now that he knows there are four Rangers around, he doesn't want to be confrontational before he is ready. The homeless are people that nobody will miss soon, and they are the perfect people to start with." Xadrin continued, realizing why it made a compelling reason for further investigation.

Cody nodded. "That's what I'm thinking too. So maybe Aly figured she could just try to monitor the situation for a night to see if there is anything more to it. The question is – what happened after that?"

Nobody spoke for a moment. It was too obvious.

"She found Metigor." Xadrin finally said. The implications were terrible, but they had to face it somehow.

"Or Metigor found her." Shawn muttered darkly.

"But she never morphed." Cody pointed out, "Or else VIKI would have noticed and alerted us."

"Let's say she fought Metigor without morphing," Shawn said slowly, as if trying not to believe it, "then it means…" he trailed off, not willing to go down that direction further. It did not matter. The rest could guess what he meant anyway.

Cody shook his head, "That's just one possibility. Maybe she's just captured."

"Maybe Metigor never recognized her." Xadrin pointed her, feeling a ray of hope. "And he brought her back along with whoever he had been trying to kidnap."

"Then we have to get her back." Cody said.

They set to work.

* * *

Aly woke up to a nasty smell. As she opened her eyes, she saw the backs of several people, sitting too close to where she was lying. She scrambled up – and bit back a cry as the wound on her left side stung sharply. She touched the wound with her hand, and was surprised to find that someone has bandaged it for her, albeit with cloth of dubious origins.

"You need to take it slowly." A female voice said somewhere behind her, too close for comfort. "That will take some time to heal, even for a Ranger."

Aly spun around, ignoring the pain from the sudden movement. Sitting right behind her was a girl who looked slightly younger than her, with cropped brown hair. She was thin, and wearing ragged clothes that looked like they had not been washed in a while.

Still gaping slightly, Aly surveyed the room she was in. She recognized the smell now – it was the smell of too many humans cramped together, of old sweat and dirt and perhaps something even nastier. It was medium sized room that could perhaps comfortably house around fifty people, standing up. But now it looked like there was more than that. From the looks of some random belongings on the floor, the way some people were lying on each other or just sitting and staring into space, it looked like all these people had been _living_ here.

She was torn between so many questions. But there was one urgent thing, "How did you know who I am?" she whispered, noting that not many people were actually talking to each other.

The girl smiled sadly, "My brother knows some Rangers. He's probably a Ranger himself now. I know how a morpher looks like."

Aly had assumed that these were all the people Metigor had kidnapped from Earth, astounding as the number would be. But now it seemed like she was very wrong.

"You are… you're not from Earth?"

The girl cocked her head to one side. "Is that where we are now? Earth is a planet, is it not?"

Not knowing what else to say, Aly nodded.

"No," she sighed, "I am not. I am from… I am from Eltare, that's right. It's been so long since someone asked me that."

Aly gaped. Eltare was where Xadrin was from. And how could someone almost forget which planet they came from?

"How long have you – have you been here?" Aly asked tentatively, afraid to know the answer.

The girl raised her hands and stared at them, and touched her own face softly. "I don't know. I was eleven years old when they caught me."

Aly covered her mouth to hide her gasp. The girl looked at least sixteen. She had been here, living here for at least five years. What kind of life was that?

Aly scrambled closer to her – feeling a few other bruises on her back as she did. It didn't matter. These were nothing compared to what this girl must have been through.

"My name is Aly. What is yours?"

"Jen." She said, her green eyes curious. "Are you a Ranger from Earth?"

Aly thought about it. "In a way, yes. Listen, I can help you get out of here. But I need you to tell me how things work around here – how many guards, when do they come, things like that. Then, if everyone just work together-"

Jen was shaking her head. "They won't. I won't."

"But why not?" Aly whispered urgently. She was starting to hate this cramped place, and this smell.

Jen stared at her in a weird way. "You haven't heard it yet, have you?"

"Heard what?"

"The call from the Master." She said, pointing to her skull. "In here. Once the Master calls, nobody can resist. You won't even know what he called you to do. When he releases you, you can only try to guess from your aches."

 _Mind control_. Aly remembered with a chill. She looked around at the number of people in the room with dawning dread. _All_ of them are under Metigor's control. Was she? She looked down quickly at the bandaged wound on her side, touching the spots of blood that soaked through the cloth. Had she been poisoned? Would she hear the call any time now, and lose herself?

"But when he doesn't call you, you know what you are doing?" Aly asked, "You could do what you want to?"

Jen smiled bitterly. "In a way." She gestured around the room. "But we are all stuck here. We know this is a spacecraft and it is somewhere far from Eltare. What could we do? Even back when we were on the farm –"

"The farm?"

"We were not always here." Jen said.

And then she told Aly their story. None of them could remember much about when and how they were captured, but when they woke up on that first evening they could remember, they were on a planet with no off-world communication systems. Batch by batch, they were ordered to build a town from scratch, and farm for supplies. None of them had ever seen any guards. The orders always came from the Master. And their real day – the ones they could really remember and had control over – would start after a day of hard labor, when they woke up to exhaustion. It was only a few days ago that they woke up suddenly in this room.

As Jen spoke, Aly realized with horror what a mental torture it must be. She looked around at the room, and could suddenly understand why most people were just staring into space, and why no one seemed to care enough to do anything anymore.

Well, not everyone. Aly turned back to Jen, studying her. The younger girl looked thin and worn, but unlike most other people, she was more animated. And she had taken the initiative to talk to her.

"Thank you for telling me this," Aly said sincerely, trying to smile, "You seem to be the only who cares."

Jen surveyed the room as well. "I do care. My brother always said that good things will only come from people who care. I want to do good things."

Aly was touched. Five years – she could not begin to imagine what it must be like to live five years in a life like this, fully conscious that your life was no longer yours. She herself would probably go crazy. But here was Jen, still caring, still trying.

Without warning, tears started falling down Jen's face. "I don't always get it right though. I once asked a friend to run away with me, when we were on the farm. The Master found out." Jen reached down to lift up her dirty shirt, revealing an ugly burn scar in a jagged star shape at the side of her belly. "He made sure I was awake when he ordered my friend to do this."

Aly curled her fists tight in growing fury, hastily wiping away the wetness building in her eyes. "I'll stop him." She said, "My team will stop him. I just need you to-"

There was a rustle of movements. A group of about ten people had stood up at the other side of the room, their eyes unseeing. The door at the end of the room slid open, and they left in a line. The door slid shut.

"The Master called them." Jen said softly, "It will be my turn soon. It must be morning. Our work will be starting."

Aly's mind was racing. "You said there are no guards at all. Are you sure?"

"None of us have ever seen one. And why would the Master need them?" Jen said, gesturing to the room, "When he calls, _all_ of us would be his guards. But when we are working on one order, we won't pay attention to other things." She turned back to Aly, her eyes sharp, "Is that what you are planning?"

Aly took a nervous glance around, and leaned in to whisper in Jen's ear, "If I follow the next group out the door, will they know that I am not – that I am still 'awake'?"

Jen shook her head. "That was how I broke away the last time. No one cared that I was there."

"Good."

"But if he calls, he will know that you tried to run." Jen warned her. "He will punish you."

Aly looked at Jen, at her small and undernourished frame, at her eagerness to do good things, at the now hidden scar on her belly. She tried to smile at her. "But I still care. I still want to do good things, like you. I'm a Ranger, maybe he won't have complete control. And I have my teammates looking for me. I'll be fine."

Another rustle, to their right. Aly scrambled up, gritting her teeth at the various aches and pains.

"Be careful!" Jen whispered, her eyes scared but hopeful.

Aly nodded, and followed the group out the door.

* * *

Cody turned into the alley, and stopped. To his left was a pile of old cardboards and newspapers. He squatted down, and studied the marks on them. He could just make out a few messy sets of footprints, as if there were a few people walking in different directions. And right at the edge of one of the cardboard was a few spots of what looked like blood stains.

He turned around, and looked out into a street for good vantage point. The 24-hour convenience store would be a good place to monitor this spot late at night. He went into the store, and introduced himself as a student working on a social project about homeless people.

"I thought there was a guy who hangs out at the alley opposite," he said to the cashier, "Have you seen him?"

The middle-aged cashier fingered his beard, "Not since this morning. Strange, now that you mentioned it. He's usually there every morning, trying to catch the morning crowd for some tips."

He thanked the cashier, and got out, feeling confident that this was where Aly was captured.

After the news earlier this morning, the team had initially wanted to infiltrate Metigor's ship straight away. But with Xadrin still not completely ready for combat and their lack of confidence in confronting Metigor, they thought it would be better to wait until near midnight, when Metigor should be on Earth to kidnap more people. That would buy them time on his ship.

But in the mean time, they needed to be sure that their guess about the incident was correct. Using VIKI's data on Aly's last known location, he and Shawn had split up in different directions, trying to find signs of what might have happened. With the missing homeless man and some signs of fighting, this alley seemed to be the likeliest spot. The small bloodstains were not good signs, but they may not be Aly's blood.

He signaled Shawn, and they both went back to the ship, preparing for the long day ahead.

* * *

Aly tried to keep up with the line of prisoners moving ahead. She was holding her injured side and limping slightly, and wondered what she could do. She could not confront Metigor, and neither could she just call the Ace for help. That would alert Metigor straight away of her presence, and she might not have enough time.

Just then, a thought made her look around the corners of the walls and corridors. Grimly, she noted the presence of cameras. Would there be anyone monitoring the cameras? Could Metigor order a few people to monitor and report any suspicious activity?

She had to blend in while she tried to come up with a plan. She would just follow this group of people, and perhaps she could –

She froze. The line had turned around the corner into a big room, and she was the last to enter. Now she saw the room – it was a large room with three large tanks of neon-green fluid bubbling in them. The tanks were as tall as the room was, and perhaps three meters in diameter each.

The line of prisoners had separated, each with their own orders. Aly quickly followed the last one, a man who looked about as old as Jen was, and pretended to mirror his movements. She almost sighed in relief when he took what seemed like mops to clean the floor. Aly grabbed the extra mop, and followed him to the room.

As she did, she surveyed the room – the three large tanks had gotten her initial attention, but they only took up a quarter of the room. At both ends of the line of tanks were large consoles and monitors that hummed quietly away. Two chairs stood empty at both sides of the room. There was another side of the room behind them, where this man was heading to.

Aly's hands tightened around the mop as she saw the other half of the room. There were six chairs attached to the tanks, two chairs to each. Sitting on each chair, with their heads in some sort of helmet that connected directly to the tanks, were humans.

The man Aly followed calmly walked to the other end, and started mopping the floor around the seats. Slowly, Aly walked closer to watch the prisoners bound to the chairs. The nearest one was a woman, perhaps slightly older than her. Her eyes stared straight ahead, unfocused. She sat straight and still, but every now and then her body would twitch, or she would drool. A closer look revealed dried sweat on her skin, and –

Aly stepped back in horror. On the ground under and near all the chairs were mildly colored stains. Some were still a little wet, and dripping from the chairs where the prisoners sweated or urinated without knowing. They were bound here.

She covered her mouth, feeling the sudden urge to throw up. She quickly turned away, and pretended to mop the floor at the other side of the room as she calmed herself down.

She needed to do _something_ , anything. She couldn't just leave all these people here. Was her team on the way? And even so, they would be planning to free her alone. None of them had known that Metigor had prisoners from Eltare.

But what could she do by herself? She still had her morpher with her, but using it would likely trigger all sorts of alarms that would leave her barely a minute to do what was next. Other than that, she had nothing, nothing except –

She closed her eyes, and recalled the layout plan and their rehearsals for yesterday. Yes, she could figure out where she was if she made a few more checks. And then she could locate and sabotage the communication and navigation systems. And once she did, she could contact VIKI directly without much fear.

She shivered as she took one last look at the row of prisoners on the chair. She would be back for them. Her team would be back for them.

For now, she had other work to do.

* * *

Finally, it was time. Shawn almost ran to the hanger bay in his impatience, and the only reason he did not was because Xadrin still had a small limp before she morphs. He took a quick look at Xadrin and Cody beside him. They were grim, but in their steps there was a similar impatience.

It had been a very long day. After deciding on a plan to infiltrate Metigor's ship, Xadrin had been forced by the two of them to get more rest, since she would be forced into action before the five-day timeline VIKI estimated. The two of them lingered at the bridge, memorizing Metigor's ship layout and running through the plan over and over. Eventually, they went off to the guest rooms to get a nap at VIKI's suggestion. Shawn had just stared at the room ceiling. He wondered if any of them really got a chance to sleep.

And now, it was half past ten at night.

They hopped onto their gliders – surfboard-like transport that could make short-distance space travel and carry a maximum of two people – and took off. VIKI had activated the Ace's stealth shield, and it had been maneuvered to a position that minimized the distance they had to cover without being too close to Metigor's ship.

In around ten minutes, they slowed down and checked the exterior of Metigor's ship. From where Shawn was, it looked huge, much longer than commercial airplanes, and about three stories high. It gave him some twisted comfort to know that the Ace was much bigger.

At Xadrin's signal, they charged into the open loading bay.

* * *

Aly rounded the corner, found her earlier hiding point in an inset part of the wall, and went in to take a breather. She was cold, hungry and exhausted. And she had been very wrong about what she could do.

The layout plan VIKI pulled up was _very_ wrong. Or at least, this ship was never the model it appeared to be. Instead of neatly planned cargo holds, the ship seemed to be customized for Metigor's own use. It had the room with the three tanks and the chair-bound prisoners, and at least five other rooms full of prisoners like the one she woke up with. And then there were rooms full of weapons and other supplies.

She shivered, and squeezed her side, trying to numb the throbbing pain. The wound felt damp and warm, in stark contrast to the bone-deep chill she had been feeling. It made sense, in a way – Metigor would not waste energy to warm up this sparsely populated part of the ship.

She forced herself to refocus. She needed to get off the ship and warn the others before they rush in thinking that they knew their way around. She needed to find out how Metigor had been sending the prisoners to Earth to conduct the kidnappings – and indeed, without seeing any guards, the masked figures she fought yesterday had to be other prisoners.

Footsteps.

She retreated further into the dark corner, and watched as two prisoners carried a bunch of silver armor disappeared down the corridor. With a burst of relief, she recognized those armors as the ones worn by her foes yesterday. These two prisoners could be assigned to conduct tonight's kidnappings!

She quickly followed them to a room down the corridor. And sure enough, a line of ten prisoners stood and received the silver armors without emotion. There were a few extras, to her luck. Silently, she snuck into the room as the prisoners put on their armors and masks, and quickly stole one extra set and put it on.

The mask smelled horrible, and she had to force down another urge to throw up.

As she watched, the prisoners went, four at a time, to a platform at the corner of the room. Each time, a ray of green light would engulf them, and then they were gone. As the last four prisoners stepped onto the teleportation platform, she ran to join them. She sighed in relief when none of the prisoners so much as blink at her.

Then her world dissolved in green.

* * *

Shawn checked that the corridor was clear, and quickly ran over to the other side. He had split up with Xadrin and Cody, and their destinations had been the places on the ship most likely to hold prisoners, given their size and access. So far his journey had been smooth, perhaps a little too smooth. It was eerie not to see anything or anyone.

When he found the rooms that he was looking for, he quickly ran to the door. There was a keypad by the side. Shawn pulled out the device VIKI prepared for all of them, and pointed it at the keypad. Just as VIKI said it would, the door unlocked and slid open.

Shawn stood there in shock. Instead of Aly, there was a sea of prisoners cramped into a small room. There was perhaps thirty, or even forty of them.

Even more eerily, none of them seemed to notice that he had opened the door. They were just staring into space.

One girl stood up, and scrambled over. "Are you Aly's teammate?"

The girl was thin, and too young – perhaps only fifteen or sixteen. Her green eyes were eager and hopeful.

"You met Aly?" He asked, gesturing for her to come out.

She took his offered hand. "Yes, she was here this morning. She went out with one of the groups to try to escape. Is she okay now?"

Shawn felt his heart sank. "This morning? She went out with who?"

The girl nodded slowly, as if realizing what he must have meant. "Yes. It had been hours. She went out with one the first groups – all of us here have to work, and we are sent out in groups each day. You… haven't you heard from her?"

He shook his head, his mind racing. Aly had left the cell hours ago, but have yet to contact them. There were a lot more prisoners that they expected; they couldn't get all of them out tonight. He needed to regroup with Xadrin and Cody.

He took one more look at the girl. Aly knew her now. "Come with me. My team cannot get everyone out tonight. But I can get you out first."

She broke into a smile, and nodded eagerly. He took her hand, and they ran back to the loading bay.

* * *

Xadrin slammed her fists on the wall in front of her, only to be pulled aside by Cody. He pulled her into a dark and inconspicuous corner.

"Blasted," She cursed quietly, "We were wrong about everything!"

The layout plan they had, the one that they memorized and based their whole plan around, was _very_ wrong. That had become apparent when they met their second dead-end. Shawn could be charging into trouble by himself because of her mistake.

"We need to regroup." Cody said urgently, pulling her towards the direction that they came from.

Xadrin ran with him, ignoring the dull throb on her injured leg. She realized grimly that she had been wrong from the beginning. This was never just a cargo ship to begin with. She had been wrong since her last day on Eltare. How could she be so stupid?

As they came to a fork, Shawn appeared from one of the corridors, dragging a human girl with him. It wasn't Aly.

"Shawn!" Cody said in relief. "We were looking for you – who is she?"

"She's one of the prisoners, she met Aly-"

"I'm Jen." The girl said, and Xadrin snapped to her in shock. The girl was thin and wearing ragged clothes, looking much older than what Xadrin remembered. Her dark brown hair was cropped messily, but the straight nose, and those unmistakable green eyes –

Xadrin grabbed her by the shoulders. "Jen? Is that you? I'm Xaddie!"

Her cousin gaped at her in disbelief. Xadrin lowered her visor so that they could see each other. Both their eyes were wet now.

"How…"

They embraced tightly. Xadrin had never, ever thought that she would see her again. Xander's team and the alliance and looked for them all over, and thought that all of them must have perished in the blaze. And yet here she was.

"Xadrin, I hate to break this up, but this is not the place-" Cody's warning was cut off by the sound of a blaster firing.

A second later, Xadrin pushed herself off the floor, turning to see who had pushed her aside.

Cody was struggling to get up, his right shoulder bearing the marks of Metigor's grade nine weapon. He had saved her.

Shawn was already returning fire. Gritting her teeth, Xadrin joined him, firing her own blaster rapidly. Metigor deflected those shots easily. Better prepared this time, Xadrin summoned her sword and charged ahead, furious.

Metigor seemed to be waiting for her. "Did you find my ship to your liking?"

Shawn attacked from her other side, and they tried to find an opening even as Metigor blocked off their blows almost casually.

"How about a little welcome gift?" Metigor said, and gestured at the other end of the corridor.

Jen! Xadrin remembered with alarm and turned back, only to see Jen ram Cody into the wall, pressing him on his injured shoulder. She ran to them, pulling Jen aside.

Jen's unseeing eyes stared back at her. Xadrin's heart sank when she realized what was happening. Before she could react, Jen lowered into a crouch, and kicked Xadrin's injured leg.

Xadrin fell on all fours, shutting her eyes in pain. It was not possible. Jen was too thin to be this strong. She heard another cry, and turned to see that Shawn had been thrown backwards, and he was holding his forearm in pain.

"So this is where it ends." Metigor's voice taunted behind them. "Did you think you could stop me with –"

The ship shook violently, and the lights flashed. It was under attack.

Metigor growled. "I will be back for you!"

Xadrin scrambled up as Metigor left, only to see Jen pressing Shawn back down. She felt her heart break as she knocked Jen from behind, rendering her unconscious. "I'm so sorry," she whispered as she pushed her aside and helped Shawn up.

"Are you leaving her here?" Cody croaked as the three of them regrouped. The ship continued to rock, and they could hear footsteps from the other end approaching. Many, many pairs of footsteps.

"She would still be under his control even if we bring her back." She said, "There is no cure for the venom."

"There are a whole lot of them," Shawn was saying, "We gotta go now!"

"But Aly-"

"Jen said she wasn't there."

Cody nodded, and they ran as fast as they could.


	6. Aftermath

**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

Aly supposed her luck would run out some time. But not in this way. She had found herself back on Earth after the teleportation stream released her, and she had returned to the Ace immediately, immensely relieved and eager to report what she had found out —

— only to be notified that the team had just, _had only just_ infiltrated Metigor's ship to look for her, and she had to maintain radio silence while waiting for them to come back. Then, out of nowhere, a new ship – a small fighter jet – had entered the system, and started firing at Metigor's ship.

And it was ignoring her.

"I repeat, there are Rangers on board, cease fire." Aly repeated into the broadcast to the fighter jet. It showed no sign of slowing down.

"Damn it! Who the hell is this?"

"The fighter is not affiliated to any official database." VIKI replied, "Origins unknown."

It was firing on Metigor, so they should be on the same side. But why wouldn't it listen to her and try to avoid killing Rangers by mistake?

There was a muted chime. "VIKI, we're out." Shawn's voice reported, "Come get us."

She sighed in relief as VIKI changed the ship's course to pick the team up. She stared at the fighter's location on the map, and decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.

"Attention," she broadcasted to the fighter jet, "we have Rangers exiting the ship from the loading bay area. Please avoid firing the area and provide cover if you can."

And just in time – Metigor's ship finally started firing back _._ Aly scrambled increase the ship's shield strength to maximum, and noted with curiosity that the fighter was indeed providing cover for the retreating team.

"The Rangers have reached the hanger bay." VIKI announced minutes later, and Aly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aly, are you on the bridge?" Xadrin asked through the comm urgently.

"Yes, I'm sorry — "

"Tell the fighter to _cease fire_ and follow us."

"Trust me, I tried —"

"Tell him we have survivors of Santor on board and he better not kill any of them!" Xadrin snapped, and cut off the line.

Santor, the slain city. Jen, from Eltare. Things were starting to click. Aly repeated Xadrin's instruction – in slightly more polite terms – and turned the Ace around.

Abruptly, the fighter complied, and followed them in their retreat.

As they did, Aly felt glad that her luck was still with her. Metigor did not pursue. They did it.

"Incoming transmission from the fighter." VIKI announced suddenly.

"This is Kyril from Eltare." A male voice came through the line, "Permission to board."

 _Eltare?_ Aly thought, and before she could react, VIKI informed her that Xadrin had granted the permission. Perhaps they know each other.

"VIKI, where are the others now?"

"They are at the medical bay. All three of them have sustained injuries."

Aly felt her heart sank. This was all because of her. Her stupid idea to not inform them about her little investigation. As she stood to make her way to the med bay, she shivered again. She still felt cold and exhausted to the bone, even though the environmental settings here on the Ace were better than Metigor's ship. But it did not matter. She needed to check on the teammates she nearly got killed. She needed to make up for it somehow.

* * *

Xadrin was fumbling with the new exoskeleton-like leg support that VIKI issued to her when an armored hand came into view.

"Let me help," Aly said, crouching down and taking over the straps. She looked pale and tired, but at least she was moving about.

Xadrin sighed in relief, but pointed out, "What are you wearing?"

"Yeah, that looks really weird." Shawn commented from the next bed, where he was tending to Cody's shoulder burn.

Aly looked down at the silver armor she was wearing, and sighed, tying up the final straps. "Long story. I-"

"Xadrin." Kyril strode into the room. His brown hair was shaggier than she remembered, though his straight nose and green eyes were a startling reminder of the girl she had left behind on Metigor's ship.

He covered the grounds in a few big strides, and was in front of her in seconds, pushing aside Aly, who had just gotten up to look at the newcomer.

He grabbed Xadrin by the shoulders, his green eyes wild, "What do you mean there are survivors of Santor?"

Xadrin remembered her cousin, and her prone form on the corridors of the ship. She felt tears building up. "Jen is alive. I met her on the ship-"

The grip on her shoulders tightened. "Where is she now?"

Xadrin took a moment to admit it. "She is under Metigor's control. She's still on the ship —"

"You left her… on that ship?" Kyril repeated slowly, his voice dangerously quiet.

"You know there is no cure —" Kyril shoved her hard, and Xadrin slammed backwards onto the bed. She blinked at the ceiling for a moment as something rustled at the other end. Wiping away her tears hastily, she scrambled back up.

Aly and Shawn had put themselves in between her and Kyril. Cody, sitting on the next bed, had used his good hand to restrain Kyril from the shoulder.

Kyril stood numbly, his eyes wet. "Xander kept trying to convince me that she was dead. It took a long time for me to… and now you're saying that she's been alive this whole time?"

"I didn't _know_ , Ky." Xadrin's heart went out to him. They had grown up together, trained together. If it weren't for the Santor massacre, he would have been her teammate back on Eltare. And Kyril's parents would still be on speaking terms with her own parents, and they would have their monthly gatherings, and Jen would be pestering her for free rides to nearby planets. That was how things were supposed to turn out.

"Are you Jen's brother?" Aly suddenly asked. "I spoke to her."

Kyril's attention snapped to Aly, and he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "What did she say?"

"She…" Suddenly Aly swayed a little, her hand holding her left side. Kyril let go in surprise, and Aly fell forward.

"Aly!" Shawn caught her as Xadrin hopped off the bed. Her leg throbbed in protest, but Aly's unfocused eyes and pained expression worried her more.

"Just… dizzy." Aly muttered.

Without a word, Kyril pushed off Shawn's hands, and picked Aly up, carrying her to the examination table at the other end of the med bay. Xadrin and Shawn followed.

By the time she limped over, Kyril had already run the med scanner over her, and was frowning at the readings. "Help me take off that armor."

He moved to hold her up by the shoulders, and Shawn went to the other side to unclasp the armor from the back. When it was done, Xadrin helped remove the armor from the front, feeling her hand slip in something wet as she did. She took a look at her hand just as Shawn gasped. Her eyes widened.

It was blood. As they threw the armor aside, Xadrin saw with a chill that Aly's t-shirt was soaked through, most of it with what seemed like sweat, and almost half of it with the unmistakable stain of blood. The source of it was a wound by her side, where it was still bleeding through what seemed like a very rough field bandage. Aly started shivering.

"Damn it, why didn't you say something?" Shawn chided as the three of them got to work. He passed the tray VIKI just prepared over to the bed, and Kyril started cutting through her stained shirt and the useless bandage.

Aly was still shaking in cold. "Wanted to make sure… you guys are okay." She stuttered amid her shakes, her hand grabbing Xadrin's and her eyes struggling to focus on hers. "It's… it's all my fault."

Xadrin gave her hand a firm squeeze. "Shhh. It's not your fault, all right?" She went to brush a few strands of hair from Aly's face, and realized with a start that she was burning up.

"Ky, give me the scanner."

As she read it, her eyes widened. Why didn't she think of this before? Metigor must have used his venom on all the people he kidnapped. They should have checked for this the minute Aly came back. It was so obvious, how could she have missed this? Rangers were thankfully immune to Metigor's mind-control, but that did not mean that the poison did not affect them.

And then there was the dehydration and the dangerously low blood sugar. "Aly, when did you last eat?" She asked as she took the anti-serum and prepared to inject Aly with it.

"Di-dinner." She muttered, her eyes closed. For a moment, Xadrin thought they lost her, but realized it wasn't the case when she grimaced at the injection.

"Just now?" Shawn asked from where he was cleaning the blood off her body while Kyril stitched her wound.

"Last… night."

Xadrin cursed under her breath. Her body was already working overtime to fight off the poison; it needed even more energy than usual. She glanced over at the tray, and realized what the cup of thick looking liquid VIKI prescribed must be for.

Together with Shawn, they painstakingly tried to feed Aly the liquid while she drifted in and out of consciousness. It felt like a long time before she finished it, and she had to shoo the guys out while she pulled a fresh set of clothes over Aly and tucked her into the bed opposite Cody's.

When she was finally done, she slumped down on the bed next to Cody, too exhausted to think.

Kyril appeared in front of her. She looked up at him tiredly.

His face was unreadable, as if there was some internal struggle raging within. "Get some rest," he finally said, and turned to Cody and Shawn, who looked as tired as she was. "All of you. I will stay and stand on watch – if you let me."

Cody and Shawn both turned to her, as she was the only one who really knew him. She nodded. He was still family.

Kyril gave her a curt nod, and stalked off.

* * *

Rakan dropped into a chair the moment he entered the command room. Xander and the rest followed suit as they entered. It was probably early morning now. It had been a long day.

"We might have to think about taking shifts." Brecian muttered as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "The attacks have been getting more frequent, and at weird timings."

"And at unexpected locations." Nirra commented, leaning back in her chair. "They've been getting too close without warning. What the hell is Defense doing?"

Xander sighed. He had been wondering the same thing. It seemed like he had to pay a visit to the Council tomorrow.

"They are probably –"

"Incoming transmission from the Ace."

They paused, looking at each other in surprise. Xadrin's plan would not take place until the next day. Why would she contact them now?

"Play it."

They shifted in their seats as the big screen at the end of the room blinked to life. Xadrin's face appeared on it seconds later. Someone gasped.

Xadrin blinked at them in surprise. "Xander! Guys – what are you all doing at the base? Isn't it very late?" But the corners of her mouth were quirking into a smile at the sight of the team. It had been a while.

"Xaddie," Meryl said tensely, "Tell us all that blood is not yours."

Xadrin looked down at herself, as if noticing the blood stains on her uniform for the first time. Xander grimaced, wondering if she knew that there were streaks of blood on her face and forehead as well. She looked haggard, and her eyes were bloodshot.

She was quiet for a moment before she replied, "I wish it was."

"We don't." Rakan said quickly.

"And you look horrible." Brecian added.

She managed to grin a little. "Well, it's always nice to get compliments." She paused. "I miss you."

Xander felt a movement to his right, and he reached out to give Meryl's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Same here." Nirra said with a smile. "Are you all right? Why did you call us at the base when you don't think we'd be around?"

Xadrin's face was serious again. "I'm fine. My team –" she swallowed, "my team is not. Blasted, I almost got everybody killed!" she blurted, running a hand through her hair in frustration, avoiding their eyes.

Xander felt his heart went out to her. "Xaddie, I'm sure you did what you think was right. Now, tell us one thing at a time."

Xadrin took a deep breath, and faced them again. "No, that's not important. I'll ask VIKI to send over the logs to you later for the full story. I have important news."

Xander exchanged a glance with Brecian.

"There are survivors from Santor." She said to collective gasps in the room. Then she smiled bitterly, "Jen is alive."

Xander felt his heart skip. Jen, bubbly young Jen who would trail the team around the training grounds, begging for free rides to visit nearby planets. She must be what, sixteen years old now?

"We sent Ky to help," Brecian said after a moment of shocked silence.

Xadrin nodded sadly. "He did. But I don't know if he'll ever forgive me," she looked down, resting her head on her hand tiredly. "I left Jen on Metigor's ship."

"You _what_?"

"She's been poisoned." Xadrin muttered, and Xander's heart sank at what that meant. "And that's another piece of news—" she straightened up, "Metigor managed to upgrade the poison somehow. It made the victims super strong. Jen almost broke my leg with one kick."

Rakan cursed. "You said you were fine!"

"It's just a fracture."

" _Just_ a fracture-"

"One of my teammates almost bled out before we knew," Xadrin snapped, "and now her whole body's burning up because of Metigor's poison. Another was hit by Metigor's grade-nine when he saved me. So yes, in comparison, I am doing very well."

In the stunned silence that followed, Xander noted Xadrin's too-bright eyes, and knew that she was not angry with anyone but herself.

"Sweetie, it's not your fault." Meryl said gently. "You couldn't have seen what was coming."

"Then it must be my blasted incompetence," She muttered, and Xander widened his eyes in shock. He did not remember her ever using such words on herself. "I was wrong right from the beginning, before I left Eltare.

"Metigor had never stolen the ship to begin with," she said, meeting his eyes, "It had always been _his_. The ship was a full-fledged battleship, with advanced weaponry and even teleportation cloaking."

"But we ran the checks as well," Brecian was frowning, "It has all the paperwork and track record."

Xadrin nodded grimly. "Exactly. That's the bad news – he must have planned this for a long time. And his ship may not be the only one. If he managed to hide his battleship so near to our base, then you can bet that there are others around, either at our base or other planet's. You need to investigate, and warn the others."

Xander caught Nirra's eyes, and knew that she must also be thinking about her comment earlier regarding the unexpected attacks.

"And the captain — " Xadrin grimaced as she recalled the captain whom she thought she owed an apology to for losing his ship, "he's too suspicious now. You need to find him, he could be a spy."

Xander nodded. "We will."

"One more thing," Xadrin added, her eyes looking at something else as she tried to remember something, "I'll ask VIKI to send you the ship logs from the day I left Eltare. Shawn said that there are at least a few hundred prisoners on board Metigor's ship."

Meryl gaped, "Hundreds?"

Xadrin nodded, meeting their eyes once more. "Most of them should be survivors of Santor like Jen. Metigor had made several stops in different galaxies before he settled on Earth. I didn't understand what he was doing, but now I think he might be picking up the prisoners from where he hid them all these years."

"And you think there could be more of them there." Brecian said.

Xadrin nodded, "Aly spent a whole day sneaking around his ship. I expect we'll know more when she wakes up." She looked down, and Xander realized that this must be the teammate who almost bled out.

"That's very important intel, Xaddie." Xander told her firmly, "You did a great job. Stop blaming yourself."

Xadrin shook her head, insisting softly, "But there were so many things that I got wrong! I feel so stupid—"

"Hey, we get things wrong too, all right?" Rakan said, his voice stern, "You just have to do your best. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, that's the only stupid thing you're doing."

Xadrin managed to chuckle at that, and she quickly wiped her eyes dry.

"Did you manage to get some rest since the battle?" Nirra asked.

"I tried," Xadrin muttered, "But I felt like I need to let you all know this as soon as possible."

"That's good," Brecian replied, "Now it's done. Go get some rest."

She nodded, but she lingered on the line, staring at them for a few more moments.

"We love you," Meryl said with a smile, giving voice to all their feelings.

"Me too." Xadrin smiled, and turned to Xander, "I'll call mom and dad tomorrow – well, tonight, technically, on my side. On yours —"

"I get it." Xander said before she confused herself further. She was obviously exhausted. "Go to bed."

With one last nod, the link went dead. For a few moments, they just stared at the screen, trying to digest all this.

"She looks horrible." Nirra repeated Brecian's earlier comment. "I wish we could be there for her."

"I think we all feel the same." Meryl said, patting the other girl's shoulder.

Xander looked around at the team. He had always known that Xadrin was never just his younger sister, but the team's as well. And perhaps they were all too eager to see her just as a younger sister, like him.

"She's a grown up now," he said, getting everyone's attention. "She's making her own choices outside of our influences. I just know she will come out of this much stronger."

"If she doesn't get herself killed, that is." Rakan muttered.

"We have to trust that she won't." Xander said firmly. "Now, we have work to do…"

* * *

Cody tried to stretch his stiff back slowly as he walked, grimacing when his shoulder complain.

"You should have stayed in bed." Shawn commented, watching him carefully as he walked beside him.

He shook his head. "I need to stretch my legs, man. Feeling damn stiff."

The two of them were heading towards the mess hall for an early lunch, even though VIKI was perfectly capable of serving lunch in the med bay. There were just too many questions on his mind, and he felt the need to move to calm the restlessness within. Also, he didn't want to disturb Aly, who was still having a high fever. Xadrin had volunteered to stay on watch, though Cody thought her leg must have been bothering her as well.

When they reached the mess hall, they halted. Kyril was eating at one of four tables, and he barely looked up as they entered and headed towards the kitchen. Cody exchanged glances with Shawn, who shrugged.

"May we join you?" He asked when both he and Shawn retrieved their trays.

Kyril looked pointedly at the other empty tables, but eventually said, "If you wish."

Cody put his tray on the table and settled down, noting that Shawn did so in a louder manner. "I don't think we've been properly introduced," he started, and extended his hand, "I'm Cody."

Kyril stared at his offered hand for a moment, and shook it after a second too long.

"I'm Shawn," he nodded curtly, not bothering with the handshake.

Cody took a bite of his sandwich, and wondered what he got Shawn and himself into. Kyril made no move to start any conversation. In fact, he made no move to show that he acknowledged their presence at all. He just kept eating.

"Well, I'm curious – how did you know Xadrin? " Cody started with the obvious question, "You two seem to go way back."

Kyril glared at him. "We are cousins."

Cody made no effort to hide his surprise. But then he remembered what Xadrin said the other day after the training - _One of our younger cousins was in that city_ – and he remembered what happened at the med bay last night. And everything fell into place.

"I'm sorry to hear about your sister-"

"She is not dead," Kyril interrupted with another glare, "do not speak of her as if she is."

"We're not, all right?" Shawn snapped, "We're just trying to be polite. You don't have to-" Cody had signalled for him to stop.

"I apologize if that's what it sounds like," he said, putting down his sandwich. "We'll try to get her back. Her, and everyone else Metigor captured."

Kyril studied him. "Do you even know what it will take?"

"No." He answered honestly. "But we'll give it our best shot."

Kyril gave him another unreadable look, and nodded curtly. He stood up, returned the tray, and left the room without another word.

"What the hell, man." Shawn muttered.

"Things must be hard on him."

"Yeah, but that doesn't give him a license to be an asshole."

Cody did not feel like arguing with Shawn today, even though he disagreed with him. Kyril did help them out yesterday, first by providing cover for their escape, and later at the med bay. He looked like he could be trusted, even if he was aloof and cold.

Cody turned his attention back to his lunch. It was likely to be another long day ahead. Better take it one step at a time.

* * *

Xadrin removed the now-warm cloth from Aly's forehead, and used it to wipe away the few drops of sweat from her face. She was still burning up. Despite VIKI's reassurances that it was expected to last at least a whole day, it was still distressing to see her drifting in and out of consciousness, at times delirious, and at times crying out at imagined horrors.

She turned to rinse the cloth in cold water, only to have Ky take the cloth away from her.

"Let me." He said simply, and took over.

Xadrin sat down wordlessly on the chair next to Aly's bed, nursing her sore leg tentatively. She watched Ky as he rinsed the cloth, and laid it gently on Aly's forehead.

He caught her eye as he turned around, and leaned back against Aly's bed. For the longest time, he did not say a word. But his eyes told her enough – of his pain, his anger, of his hope.

"I have to get her back." He finally said. "I need your help."

She tried to hide her surprise — Ky was never known as someone who would ask for help, even before the whole Santor incident. She nodded, "Of course. She's like my sister too—"

"Don't say that." He snapped. "Don't say that when you believed your brother the first time he said they were all dead. You've given up on her _years_ before I did —" he stopped, as if the truth that he, too, had moved on hurts.

"We've tried everything we could," Xadrin said softly. "You know we did."

Ky glared at her, his eyes bright. "Apparently that wasn't enough."

Xadrin looked away. He was right. The image of Jen haunted her – her too thin face and frame, the tiredness that made her look much older than her years.

"What happened to her?" Ky asked suddenly, and Xadrin realized that he was looking at Aly, and not referring to his sister.

"I know about as much as you do." She admitted, "She was captured the night before, when she tried to investigate some disappearances. We don't know what happened after that – we infiltrated Metigor's ship to look for her, but when we were forced to retreat, she was already back on the Ace."

"She said she talked to Jen."

Xadrin tried to recall what Shawn told her and Cody. "Seems like she did. She woke up in the same cell as Jen, and they talked for a while before Aly made her escape attempt."

Ky was quiet for a few minutes. She did not feel like talking, either.

"How do you think she is doing? Jen, I mean." Ky asked, still staring at Aly. "I can't… I can't imagine what it must be like… for five _years_ …" his voice broke, and his fists curled very tightly.

Xadrin did not have an answer. Fate had a cruel sense of humor. It was hard enough to accept that Jen was dead, but now it seemed like being alive had been a much worse fate for her.

* * *

Cody found Xadrin asleep on the chair next to Aly's bed, leaning backwards with her arms crossed. He noticed her jacket on the bed she slept on last night, and went to retrieve it.

She woke when he draped the jacket over her, her eyes groggy.

He sighed. "It's gonna be more comfortable on the bed."

She yawned. "What time is it?"

"Just a few hours to dinner. You've been here for a while. Let me help."

She stretched, and gave him a good look. "How's your shoulder?"

He remembered just in time not to shrug. "Better. VIKI's drugs are nasty, but they sure work quickly."

"Yeah? I wish I can say the same." Xadrin muttered, and suddenly pointed a finger at the nearest camera. "VIKI, don't start. I know you're going to point out how the two of us didn't start at the same stage."

She waited a few moments, and then seemed satisfied with the silence. "Thank you."

Cody grinned. It was interesting to watch the two speak — or not speak, sometimes. "Come on, if you get on the bed you can still catch a nap before dinner."

She smiled, and accepted his offered hand as she got up. When she was sitting on the bed she met him in the eyes. "Thank you."

"No worries, it was-"

"I mean back at the ship," she said, nodding at his shoulder. "That should have been mine."

He raised his eyebrows. "That's a funny way to put it. It shouldn't have been anyone's. You would have done the same for me – which, actually you did. The first day at the park, remember?"

She was surprised for a moment, and then chuckled. "I never asked you to pay me back."

"You should have written that down," he grinned at her. She was beautiful when she smiled.

She looked down pointedly at her hands, and Cody realized with a start that he had not let go. So he did it quickly, suddenly feeling a bit warm.

"Erm…"

"Do you regret becoming a Ranger?" She suddenly asked. When Cody looked at her in surprise, he saw that her eyes were troubled. She directed a glance at Aly behind him. "I know none of you signed up for this —"

"We did." Cody corrected her gently. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. What were the words Aly used —'probably a lot of trouble, a lot of dangerous situations', she said."

"I don't think she knew what exactly that meant." Xadrin muttered, and Cody realized with a start that she was feeling guilty, for whatever silly reason she was thinking of.

"Probably not. She took a leap of faith – like we all did. We just have to deal with whatever's coming. There's no point in regretting."

Xadrin suddenly chuckled. "No point in regretting. No point in being angry at the truth. You don't seem to see a point in many things."

Cody gave her a wide grin, happy that she remembered his words. "There isn't. There are only a few important things in life. There is no point to the rest."

"A few important things such as…?"

 _You,_ Cody felt the sudden urge to say as he stared into her playful eyes. He caught himself. "People. What you believe in."

She nodded in mock approval. "Very deep."

"And sleep." He added, pointing at her bed. She grinned back at him, and he felt his heart leapt.

"See you soon," he said, tucking her in.

When he turned away from the bed, he felt his heart pounding. No, that was not supposed to happen. He was _so_ going to get into a whole lot of trouble.

* * *

Aly had never woken up feeling so exhausted. Or thirsty. Or hungry. She sighed inwardly, wanting desperately to go back to sleep. But her mouth felt paper dry, and her stomach was growling. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

She wasn't in her dorm. The bright lights and grey ceiling felt somewhat familiar, she must be —

"Here, drink this." A straw was thrust to her lips, and she drank hungrily. It wasn't water, but some sort of slightly sweet drink. It was wonderful.

She squinted at the figure beside her bed. The lights behind him or her were too bright for her to make out the person, so she tried to get up — and found that she couldn't. Never mind the dull ache on her side, it felt like she didn't have an ounce of strength left, and that scared her.

"Stay still," The person said, and Aly realized that he wasn't anyone from the team. He fumbled with something by the side of the bed, and the top half of the bed rose slowly, putting her into a sort of sitting position.

Aly shivered when parts of her covers fell off. She remembered now – Metigor's labyrinthine ship, the bone-deep chill. It felt like a long time ago.

As the man tucked her covers back properly, she noted the shaggy hair, the flash of green eyes meeting hers. "You're Jen's brother." She stated, her voice a mere whisper that surprised her.

He nodded. "My name is Kyril." He said, and reached out to something else at the foot of her bed. Seconds later, he produced a tall glass of something thick, like smoothie. He brought the straw near her. "Drink this. VIKI's orders."

She wanted to laugh, but the glass of smoothie was too tempting. She drank hungrily, and was sucking at the bottom of the glass before she knew it. She leaned back on the bed with a sigh.

"Thank you." She said, and was glad to find that she sounded better. "Why are you on feeding duty?"

The corner of his mouth quirked into the ghost of a smile. "Because it is early morning your time, but still evening in my time."

He was from Eltare, that's right. She tried to do the math in her head, but gave up a second later. She felt as if something was physically pressing down on her brain.

"How long have I —" she yawned, "been asleep?"

"A full day," he said, "and a little more."

That should have been shocking, but she didn't really feel it. There was something he had wanted to ask her, wasn't it?

"Jen." She said, looking away from him to recall the pair of bright, determined eyes. Her image seemed to retreat further and further away. "She still cares."

Kyril seemed to sit up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"She said…" she paused to take another breath, "You told her ... good things can only come from those who cares." She fumbled around with her hand, and felt his fingers closed around hers. Somehow, she felt that she _had_ to deliver this message.

"She still cares…" She finished, and felt herself letting go.


	7. Taking a breather

**Chapter 7: Taking a breather**

Xadrin was reading on her bed when she saw Aly stir on the bed next to hers. She dropped the reader carelessly on the bed, and hopped down, grimacing slightly at the throbbing from her bad leg. By the time she hobbled over, Aly was blinking around, as if trying to figure out where she was.

Xadrin rested the back of her hand on Aly's forehead, noting the slight fever that persisted.

"You know," Aly croaked, "I'm sure that there are at least ten more scientific ways of checking my temperature."

Xadrin grinned in surprise. That had to be a good sign. "Why bother when this works just as well?" She pushed the button to raise the top half of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Aly stretched a little as she sat up, carefully avoiding stretching her left side. "Confused. Thirsty. Hungry. Not in that order."

Xadrin chuckled, and fetched the glass of water next to the bed. "Confused about?"

Aly took a long sip of water before replying, "What day is it? I feel like… like I've been gone a long time."

"It's Friday. You've been asleep for the past day and a half."

Aly's eyes widened in shock. She rubbed her face with her free hand, cursing quietly. A moment later, she stared at the site where her wound must be, and touched it tentatively. "I don't get it. It's just a small wound, why did it—?"

Xadrin grimaced at the memory of the bleeding wound, of Aly covered in blood and shivering. "It's the poison. Rangers are immune to Metigor's mind-control, but your body worked extra hard to fight it off. It didn't help that you didn't get to eat the whole day, and were sneaking around his ship."

At her words, Aly suddenly looked as though her mind was far away. Her face was troubled. Xadrin wondered what she saw on that ship.

She took Aly's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We're glad you found your way back."

Aly took a quick glance at her, and looked down. "I wish it didn't come at such a high price. Your leg… does it still hurt?"

"Not that much now," she said, and waved her hand in front of Aly to make her look at her, "Stop blaming yourself. You made a good call in investigating the kidnappings. We learned about very important things. Next time, just keep us in the loop, all right?"

Aly stared at her for a moment, and nodded wordlessly. Xadrin didn't think that she convinced her. But before she could say anything, Aly said, "Can you gather the others? I need to update you guys about what I saw on Metigor's ship. And we need to hurry."

After Xadrin asked VIKI to help notify the others, she turned back to Aly. "What do you mean by 'we need to hurry'?"

Aly still wouldn't meet her eyes. "Because with every day we waste, more of the prisoners might die. And Metigor would keep finding replacements."

With great effort, Xadrin refrained from asking more questions until the others arrive. It was a something that all of them deserved to hear. Instead, she tried to make Aly eat something. But she refused, saying that she did not have the appetite, and agreeing only to take some juice. That made Xadrin wonder even more about what she saw on that ship.

Ky arrived first. He nodded at Aly, who nodded back. Xadrin thought that they would get along well. Cody and Shawn came together, and all of them pulled chairs from various places, and settled down.

"Guys, first up – I'm very sorry." Aly said, bravely meeting them in the eyes, her guilt plain to see. "I dragged you into all of this, and…" she gestured at Cody's injured shoulder, and snuck a look at Shawn's bandaged hands. "… I'm sorry."

Xadrin sighed.

"Don't blame yourself," Cody said, "You did what you thought was right."

"I'm sure you made a _tactical decision_." Shawn said, smiling a little.

For a moment Aly held his gaze, and then she chuckled. "Just hit me on the head the next time I argue with you on that point."

"I'll do it." Shawn nodded, jerking his head slightly towards the camera at the corner. "VIKI will be witness to this, mind. No backing out."

"I won't." Aly promised calmly.

Finally, Xadrin remembered – it was exactly the thing that those two argued about a few days back. She grinned, recalling how the two were yelling to each other about it. It was funny how that got worked out. She caught Cody's eyes and saw that his was grinning like her. None of them were right in how the two would work things out.

"Well," Aly started after a moment, "I need to tell you something. We have been pretty wrong in our assumptions."

Xadrin winced. "We found out."

Aly was surprised, and they ended up telling her about what happened during their mission to Metigor's ship. She did not seem surprised at all at most of their findings, except the fact that they talked to Jen.

"Metigor saw you with Jen?" She asked with a frown.

"He made her attack us." Cody explained quietly. "She was also super strong." He pointed to Xadrin's leg, "That was Jen's work."

Xadrin saw a flash of alarm and worry over Ky's face, and realized that this must be news to him. She wondered what he must be feeling now, to hear of his sister this way. "It wasn't her." She said quietly, looking at Ky. "It was her body, it wasn't her."

"No, it wasn't." Aly continued, and Xadrin snapped back to her in mild surprise. "She's… she's unbelievable. You didn't see her – she's the only one among them who's – who's _alive_. The other prisoners don't seem to care any more. But she does. She still cares."

Xadrin crossed her arms and hugged herself tightly, staring straight ahead. She could recall those green eyes as if they were right in front of her. She believed Aly. Even if she had thought Jen was dead for so many years, she had faith that if Jen had lived, she would thrive. Despite everything.

"You should be proud of her, Kyril. She remembers what you told her, and she lives by it."

Xadrin, and everyone else, looked at Ky. His eyes were bright, and his fists were curled very tightly. He was almost shaking with the emotion he was trying to rein in.

"We have to get her back." Aly said, still staring at Ky.

"But how are we going to stop her from attacking us again?" Shawn pointed out the most obvious obstacle. "Xadrin told us that there is no cure to Metigor's venom."

"We don't need a cure." Aly said, and Xadrin turned to her in surprise. "She – and all the prisoners – are perfectly conscious and alive when Metigor isn't controlling them. We just have to stop Metigor from ever exerting control again."

"You mean defeating him." Cody frowned.

Aly shook her head. "That's just one way. I think I might know another."

"How?" Ky asked hoarsely, his eyes hungry.

"By breaking his system." She said simply. And then she told her side of the story, starting with how she had thought she was kidnapped by Metigor's foot soldiers, and woke up to a room of prisoners and Jen. She then described Jen's story of the farm the prisoners were forced to build in another planet, the way the prisoners got up to 'work' every day, the eerie chamber with the big tanks, and how she finally snuck out among the next batch of prisoners sent to kidnap more people from Earth.

"You think that the chamber is how Metigor is forcing the prisoners to control other prisoners." Xadrin said as Aly finished, her mind racing.

Aly nodded as she sipped more water. "That is a much more efficient way of controlling prisoners."

"He is already using the prisoners to kidnap more prisoners." Cody commented, "He is certainly sure of his own control over them."

"It's like programming." Shawn added, his eyes wide. "He programmed one layer of prisoners to control the next layer, and the next, building a hierarchy so that he exerts the minimum amount of effort."

Xadrin took a deep breath. So that was how Metigor mastered the impossible for his species. That was how he managed to enslave a whole city of inhabitants and kept them hidden in self-sustaining colonies for years.

"And if we break this hierarchy, we free not just Jen, but all the other prisoners." Ky said, his voice dangerously calm.

Aly hesitated. "We can't know for sure. Maybe he could control many people at the same time – but only for a short while. What I've seen only suggests that without the hierarchy, he cannot sustain something like this for a long time."

"But we need to break it fast," Aly continued, her eyes haunted. "The way the – the prisoners who were controlling the others, those in the chamber – they… wear out. They will need to be replaced by fresh ones."

Xadrin thought she knew what Aly meant, but she had to make sure. "What do you mean they 'wear out'?"

Aly wouldn't meet her eyes. "The way Metigor used them, it must be exerting a lot of stress on their bodies. And they get no rest. If you've seen –" she swallowed, "If you've seen them, you'd know that they wouldn't last."

Xadrin reached out and gave Aly's shoulder a squeeze, knowing that she must have seen terrible things in that chamber that she was sparing them from.

"Maybe that's why he comes to Earth!" Shawn suddenly said. "He knows he must be running out of prisoners soon, and he had to…" he trailed off, but everyone could guess what he wanted to say. It was one thing to think that people on Earth would be enslaved as some human army to fight in a war none of them knew existed, it was quite another to know the appalling way that would be done.

"I worry that he will pick Jen next." Aly muttered.

A scrap of chair, and Ky was standing up. "Why?"

Aly met him in the eyes. "She told me – Metigor will punish those who try to run. And now he knows she tried to."

Xadrin gasped as understanding dawned on her. Metigor had seen them with Jen. He would know that they knew her. Jen would be singled out as someone the Rangers cared about – and Xadrin had left her behind. Guilt twisted like a knife in her stomach.

"You." Ky growled, and Xadrin looked up to his furious eyes, "You never should have left her behind."

He turned to stalk off – and Aly suddenly reached out to catch his arm.

"Is that how you want to deal with this?" Aly demanded, though her right hand was suddenly holding her injured side as she tried to hold Ky back.

"Yes," Ky snarled, but was directing his anger at Xadrin, "you Rangers have left her for dead, and now you've singled her out to Metigor and would probably get her killed. I will likely stand a higher chance of getting her back on my own."

He shook off Aly's hand, but found his path blocked by Cody and Shawn. Xadrin was more concerned with Aly, whose expression seemed strained with pain.

"Look," Cody was saying, "you should—"

"Jen would be ashamed of you." Aly suddenly said, panting.

Ky turned back to her, shocked.

"She thought you are a Ranger." She said, "She looked up to you. Tried to keep caring, keep doing good things like she thought you would. Now you're blaming Xadrin and everyone else without caring for what they've done or sacrificed. If Jen knew, she would be ashamed of you."

Ky stood speechless, his face stricken.

Next to Xadrin, Aly suddenly bent forward with a curse.

"Aly, are you all right?" She asked, catching a glimpse of Ky as he fled the room.

"Yeah." Aly muttered, "Just… give me a minute. Must have… pulled something."

Cody and Shawn looked at Xadrin, wondering what to do next. Xadrin nodded towards the synthetron at the other side of the room, but directed her words at Aly, "We'll get you something to eat. We should have done that earlier. VIKI will get you something afterwards to make you feel better."

"Thanks." Aly said as she slowly straightened up. Cody and Shawn had left to get the food. "But I don't really feel like eating. I feel like we should be working on a plan to get Jen out."

Xadrin caught her eyes. "And we will." She said firmly, "But for now, you have to make sure you get better. We'll need you when we save Jen, and everyone else on that ship."

Aly took a deep breath, and nodded. She gestured at Xadrin's leg. "You too, you know."

Xadrin snorted, just as Cody and Shawn came back with a two large trays of food.

"Those are not all for me right?" Aly asked, staring at the amount of food.

"Of course not." Shawn said as he waited for one of VIKI's automated desk to park itself next to the bed. "You don't get to hog all the good stuff."

Aly grinned, and the four of them settled down for lunch. They had a hard battle ahead of them. But for now, like Aly said, all of them deserved a breather.

* * *

Ky turned the hologram around with his finger, and watched as the projection of his eleven-year-old sister turn and smile at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. This was the sister he would never forget – playful, full of life, and _young_. He had thought that this was all he would have. But now, to know that the same person, who was older, and who must have endured horrors that he could not bring himself to imagine, was very much alive and in the same solar system as he was – he wanted to fly right into Metigor's ship himself, and take her back and never let her out of sight again.

But he could not. He could only get her body back, but her mind and soul would remain Metigor's until he could break the hierarchy that Aly described. And he knew he could not do it alone.

A chime was the only warning he had before VIKI's voice announced into his cockpit, "Aly requests your presence."

He straightened up in his pilot seat, and peered out into the hanger bay where his fighter was now parked. Sure enough, the blue ranger was standing near the entrance and waiting for him.

He frowned. Why would she want to talk to him?

By the time he got out of the cockpit, Aly was walking over to him. She wore a thick dark blue sweater, and she was hugging herself loosely as she walked. It did not escape Ky's notice that she was holding her injured side and trying to be inconspicuous about it. Was she even supposed to be out of bed?

She tried to smile. "Hi."

"You wanted to talk to me?" he said coolly, noting that she was still looking a tad pale.

"To apologize." She said, startling him. "I'm sorry about what I said this morning. About Jen being ashamed of you. It wasn't fair to you."

Ky stared at her. Those words had stung, but he had spent the past few hours in his cockpit thinking, and even if he'd hate to admit it, there was a ring of truth to it.

Finally he sighed. "Don't apologize. You had a point. I was just… angry."

"And worried?" Aly added, and he looked up to her understanding smile. "Me too. That's why I said those words. I just want us to work together to get her back."

He nodded, and gestured to the benches by the wall. She followed him without a word. They just sat there for a few moments in silence.

"I was on track to be a Ranger." Ky said, surprising himself. "I trained together with Xadrin until Santor happened." He snuck a sideway glance at Aly, and saw that she was waiting patiently.

"After that I lost faith." He admitted, recalling the days when he felt so betrayed by everything that he had worked hard for. "Xander – Xadrin's brother – he and the alliance couldn't find a trace of Metigor, or all the bodies in the massacre. But the city was set ablaze – many had assumed that the bodies were turned to ash. I just… I just couldn't believe it."

"But you know they must have done what they could." Aly said quietly.

Ky closed his eyes, and nodded. If he tried to see past his own resentment, he could recall Xander's bloodshot eyes, their team's almost round-the-clock search, and the guilt on their faces when he flipped out and yelled at them. He could recall, even, the conversation when Xander tried hard to ask him to stay on the Ranger training. It was such a long time ago.

"Why did you come?" Aly suddenly asked, and he turned to her. "You didn't know that Jen was alive until you came. So why did you come?"

"Metigor." he said simply. "I vowed to be the one to finish him."

Aly held his gaze steadily. "And now that you know Jen is alive? What do you want now?"

He frowned a little, wondering why she was asking something so obvious. "To get her back."

Aly nodded. "Then focus on that. Put aside your anger, your hate. They won't help you to get her back."

He looked away in irritation. Who did she think she was?

"Anger and hate will only cloud your judgment. Now that Metigor knows about Jen—"

"And whose fault is that?"

Aly simply ignored him; "He _will_ use Jen against us. He will either use her to lead an attack against us, or put her in charge of controlling the other prisoners, burning away her body—"

Ky shoved her hard before he knew what he was doing. "Stop it!"

She had barely stopped herself from knocking into the side of the bench. She braced herself with one hand, and with the other she clutched her injured side, her face grimaced in pain.

Ky stood up, and backed away. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Aly, are you all right?" VIKI asked. Ky snuck a look at the camera, and glanced back at his fighter.

"I'm fine." Aly replied through gritted teeth. "Kyril – don't go. Don't run away from this. Jen needs you. We need you."

 _Jen needs me_. He repeated silently, and took a deep breath. He was being an idiot.

"I'm sorry." He said, extending his hand, "Let me walk you back to the med bay."

She took his hand and got up slowly. "And I'm sorry that I had to be so blunt. I know it's not easy to think about it, but we have to consider all the possibilities before we can come up with a good plan. We owe Jen that much."

He caught her eye and nodded. She gave him a small smile and a small squeeze of his hand, and he fought the urge to smile back. For the first time in years, he suddenly felt that he was no longer alone. He gestured forward, and they slowly made their way out.

* * *

"Does that still hurt?" Kyril asked as they left the hanger bay behind.

Aly tried to school her expression neutral, and realized that she had been grimacing. The throbbing was like a slow burn by her side since Kyril accidentally pushed her just now. Just when she was starting to ignore the dull ache, even.

"Not really," she lied, "I guess I am just suddenly lacking in distractions."

Kyril raised an eyebrow. "Should I keep talking?"

Aly couldn't quite hide her grin. "That might work. Though you don't strike me as the chatty type."

"And you based that opinion on what, two conversations?"

"It's not an opinion," Aly replied, wondering if Kyril was really chattier than she thought, or if he was really trying to distract her. "It's a first impression."

"And are you forming your opinion on that basis?"

Aly smiled, surprised that Kyril could sound like a normal person. But of course he was. "Maybe. I'm still gathering facts. Noting observations."

Kyril seemed amused. "And will I get to read the full report when you are done with forming an opinion of me?"

"If you ask nicely, I might consider."

Kyril chuckled, and Aly snuck a quick sideway look at him. It was the first time she had seen him smile, and she wondered what he must be like if life had not dealt such a terrible blow on him.

"You must be the strategist on your team." He said, catching Aly by surprise.

"Do I sound like one? And well, we plan together and build on each other's ideas." She said, recalling the team's discussions. "There's no strategist on the team. Or everybody is one."

Kyril shrugged. "That's how most teams work. But there will be someone more willing to face the hard facts, to point out the difficult choices. You look like you'd do that."

 _Because I already did it to you_ , Aly thought silently, suddenly wondering if her choice of words was too harsh. Her family has always said that she was too critical. And she did not make friends easily.

"It's a crucial role in any team," Kyril was saying, and Aly realized with a start that he had been studying her silence.

"But not an endearing trait, for sure." She muttered, hoping that it did not come out as bitter as she felt.

"Well, you have other redeeming qualities."

Aly chuckled despite herself. "Such as?"

"Your courage. Your sense of duty." Kyril said, his eyes serious.

Aly raised an eyebrow. "And you based that on what, two conversations?"

Kyril hid a smile at her echo of his earlier words. "From what I heard you did. Your actions show who you really are."

Momentarily lost for words, she focused straight ahead. Her cheeks felt slightly warm. It was not everyday that someone tell you something like that in your face.

"I'll have to work on that." She muttered, reluctant to feel good about it when she was so recently proven wrong. "I'm far from good in action."

"What do you mean?"

She paused her steps, and gestured at her injured side, at the rest of her sorry state. "Mind-controlled _foot soldiers_ did this to me. They were not even _thinking_ for themselves. And the team had to launch a search and rescue, and had almost gotten killed while they were at it—"

"You were protecting another man," Kyril pointed out, frowning slightly. "And their weapons were poisoned. You shouldn't doubt your own abilities."

"I don't doubt my abilities at all," she retorted, "I know exactly how bad they are. I know I can be better if I get to work at it. But there was no bloody time for any training, and I slept for two freaking days—"

Ky grabbed both her arms, gently. "Hey slow down," he said, his eyes patient. "Breathe, all right? You are doing very well. Most teams train for years before they get called to serve as Rangers. From what I heard, you team had no warning at all. You guys are doing well."

Aly tried taking deep breaths, but it was like her mind had already been gripped by the train of thought, and its momentum was too strong. "Oh yeah? Did you forget the part about us leaving your sister behind?"

The grip on her arms loosened, and Aly regretted it the moment she saw that Kyril's face fell. She suddenly missed the almost-normal Kyril that she had been talking to.

"I'm sorry I brought it up again." She said, turning away. "I just wish… I just wish that there was more time for everything." She started walking forward again, not really expecting Kyril to follow this time.

But he did. "You are frustrated, I understand. But weren't you just telling me to focus on getting Jen back? You should focus on that as well."

Aly turned to look, and saw that his eyes were sincere and free of the resentment that had clouded him ever since he set foot on the ship.

He grinned. "And feeling sorry for yourself is not an endearing trait either."

Aly looked away to try to hide her grin. She didn't think she succeeded.

But all too soon she found herself in front of the med bay again. Though the sight of the bed was an inviting one, she would not mind extending the conversation further. Kyril waited until he was sure she has settled down properly.

She smiled at his concern. "Thank you, Kyril."

"Call me Ky."

She nodded. "Ky. I mean, thanks for listening to my rant. I know it's not productive, but I just needed to get it off my chest—"

Ky chuckled. "'Not productive', you're the first person I know who thinks talking about feelings is 'not productive'. It's important, all right?"

Aly blinked, startled.

"Whatever you are feeling, they are valid and important. Don't hold it in." Ky said, his eyes absolutely serious. "Share it with people. Talk to me. I think we had a very good chat."

He looked as if he was waiting for a reply, and so she said, "Okay."

He nodded. "Rest well."

As he left the room, Aly was left wondering if he really was the same person that she had set out to talk to. Her heart was left in a flutter, and as she stared at the ceiling she realized that she was already looking forward to the next time she would get to talk to him.

* * *

As the door to the med bay slid shut behind him Ky swallowed, his hands loosening his collar unconsciously. It was ridiculous, the way his heart was quickening at the sight of Aly's smile, or the way he almost reached out to touch her cheek. They had only _one_ proper conversation between the two of them.

Though if he dug deeper, he knew that even as he was consumed by worry for his sister, he had been quietly awed by her; by her insistence to investigate strange kidnappings despite the late hour and rigorous training during the day, by her will to keep sneaking around Metigor's ship to gather information instead of waiting for rescue from her teammates, by her decision to find him and apologize for something that she was not entirely wrong about so that they had a chance at working as a team. She was, in short, incredible.

But she was also often right, and in particular she was right in that they barely had time for anything. Metigor would strike soon, and Jen would very likely feature as part of his plans the next time they faced him.

Ky grimaced at the thought of Jen's immediate future. The thought of Jen brought back the feelings of frustration, anger, and fear. But he reminded himself again of Aly's words – _Put aside your anger, your hate. They won't help you get her back_. He would focus from now on. He would set aside childish resentment at the Rangers, and focus on getting Jen back.

As if his body had been thinking ahead of him, he found himself almost at the bridge. It was just the place – the rest of Aly's team would still need another day or two to recover from their injuries, and before their next discussion, he could do well to learn more about this planet and Metigor's likely plans for it.

He touched the keypad to open the door.

" — Aly thought if we could destroy this system —" Xadrin paused and turned back to him in her seat.

Ky halted at the door. On the main screen in front of the bridge was Xander's team, in what must be the middle of a live transmission. They, too, paused to look at him.

"I'm sorry." He said, regretting that he had assumed no one would be on the bridge, "I didn't realize you are in a call. I'll just—"

"Why don't you join us?" Xadrin asked, cocking her head at the empty seat next to her. "I was just updating them about what Aly told us this morning. Maybe you'll have different perspectives."

Xander nodded in the screen, and the expressions on the rest of his team were not unfriendly, as if Ky had not treated them with open hostility barely a few days ago.

Hesitantly, Ky walked over and took a seat, conscious of all eyes on him.

"As I was saying," Xadrin continued as there was no interruption, and Ky almost breathed a sigh a relief, "Aly thought that if we could destroy the system Metigor is using, we would break his ability to control hundreds or even thousands of prisoners over time. We're still not sure if he could actually do that for a short period of time — but it's almost certain that maintaining control over so many people for so long must be taxing for him."

Xander's team did not reply for a few moments as they tried to digest the information.

"Do you have any plans yet?" Brecian finally asked.

Xadrin shook her head. "The team is still recovering. We'll probably talk about it later tonight."

"We don't have much time." Ky found himself saying. As the rest focused their attention to him, he straightened up in his seat. "Metigor knows that we've found out about his prisoners. He has nothing to hide anymore. He will strike soon. And," Ky grimaced slightly, "Aly is right. He will use Jen against us, either as the leader of his army, or as the control."

"When did Aly say that?" Xadrin asked, frowning.

Ky realized that it was something that had come up only during their talk at the hanger bay. "Just now. She found me at the hanger bay. We talked."

Xadrin's eyes widened slightly. "She found you? She's not supposed to be out of bed yet!"

Ky shrugged. "I walked her back. And, one might argue that _you_ are not supposed to be out of bed yet." He said, looking pointedly at her leg, still bundled in the exoskeleton-like leg support from VIKI.

Xadrin looked surprised for a moment, and then rolled her eyes. "VIKI gave me this so that I _could_ get out of bed."

"That is incorrect." VIKI cut in immediately, "I issued the leg support to you to support your recovery, which would be greatly accelerated if you do not overtax it against my advice."

Meryl sighed loudly in the screen. "Xaddie, you are supposed to listen to professional advice."

Xadrin threw up her hands in exasperation.

Ky found himself grinning. "You should have asked for proper instructions when VIKI gave it to you."

"Oh I might have," Xadrin retorted, "If someone hasn't barge in and demand—" She stopped abruptly, looking to him in alarm.

His face fell. He remembered that night at the med bay. He remembered how hard he was gripped by a mixture of fear and hope. He remembered how he had given in to those feelings and almost hurt people who had nothing to do with them — first Xadrin, then Aly.

He took a deep breath. "I remember. I am sorry, about how I treated you that night." He turned to Xander's team on screen, who watched the exchange quietly. "And I am sorry, to all of you. I wasn't fair to you all these years. I know you did your best in trying to find my sister. It was… it was very childish of me."

He did not dare meeting their eyes for the next few seconds, but when the silence dragged he snuck a glance, and saw that they were slightly stunned.

Xander caught his eyes, and he smiled. Was it relief? Or was it joy? "We are glad that you're talking to us again. We know it's been hard on you all these years, but know that we will always be your family."

Ky swallowed and nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Yes, he still had a family in them. He was only alone by his own choice. What a fool he was.

"And we will get Jen back." Xadrin added, her eyes a little too bright.

He nodded again. But he remembered to focus. "Yes, we will. But we have to prepare for it – Jen could very well be leading the next attack as Aly predicted. We need to – we need to be ready to… to fight her, or fellow Eltareans."

Just then, another thought occurred to him. "Xander, we would also need a transport for all these people. Metigor's system is too linked to his battleship, we have to destroy his ship and not let it fall into other hands. The Ace is not big enough to transport all of them back to Eltare."

Xander nodded. "Makes sense. We'll request the Council to send you a transport – and hopefully reinforcements."

"Will they?" Xadrin asked, skeptical but hopeful.

"You'd be surprised." Nirra smiled, "Your intel about the Santor survivors has stirred up quite a storm over here."

"Yeah, it's not a question of whether they will send anything, but a question of how many ships," Rakan added with a grin. "There are a number of people tripping over themselves trying to be the heroes who bring the Santor people back."

Ky caught Xadrin's gaze, and they rolled their eyes at each other. "Politics." Xadrin muttered.

"Well, as long as they send the reinforcements in time, I don't care." Ky replied.

"When did you learn how to rise above?" Xadrin asked, half-jokingly.

 _Put aside your anger, your hate._ Ky smiled. "Since Aly knocked some sense into me."

Xadrin raised her eyebrows suggestively. Ky deliberately looked away.

"Very well then." Xander said, eyebrows raised as well to show that he had not missed the exchange. "We will talk to the Council today. We'll let you know when the transport is coming. Team, anything else you want to add?"

"Listen to professional advice!" Rakan called out.

Xadrin rolled her eyes, and the rest chuckled.

"Glad to have you back, Ky." Meryl said, smiling. Surprised, Ky felt his cheeks warm, and merely nodded back.

The link was cut after a short exchange of 'love-you's and 'take-care's, some of which were directed at Ky as well. It felt like he had never left the group. That left a smile on his face, and he had to wonder why he had held them back for so many years.

"So," Xadrin turned her chair to face him, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees, "how, exactly, did Aly 'knock some sense' into you?"

He stood up. "You can ask her that yourself," he said, smirking slightly. Without waiting for her reply, he walked to the door in a few big strides.

"Hey, you are taking advantage of me – my leg –"

"Don't come after me," He called over his shoulder, grinning, "Remember to listen to professional advice!"

On hearing her exaggerated grunt in reply, he laughed for the first time in a long, long while.


	8. Taking a chance

**Chapter 8: Taking a chance**

Aly opened her eyes again, and smiled as the universe of constellations appeared again in front of her. She couldn't believe it when VIKI told her an observatory existed on the Ace – why incorporate something like this in a _battleship_ , she had no idea – but she was glad she came. The sheer majesty of the galaxies was enthralling, and it served to calm her down after the tense discussions of the day.

They all knew that they did not have the luxury of time. Yet only Cody and Shawn were near enough to full recovery. Both Aly and Xadrin shared the same frustration that they would need another few days, during which Metigor could build up his army more and more, and more prisoners could be wasted away at the torture of maintaining control over other prisoners.

And there was also the knowledge that the foot soldiers they would see from now on are fellow humans – Eltareans or Earthlings or even Jen, it did not matter. They would have to do what it takes to prevent Metigor from advancing his plans further. Killing the foot soldiers would not be a viable option, and they had settled for disarming and disabling the foot soldiers. But Aly had her doubts, and she suspected that some of the others had them as well. How do you hold back in battles where you knew the other side was going for the kill? What would they do with the disarmed and knocked out prisoners, who would remain under Metigor's control when they wake up?

Nobody wanted that to happen. Their alternative was to strike first – to wait until Xadrin and Aly were ready, and infiltrate Metigor's ship, again, to evacuate the prisoners to the transport due from Eltare soon, and destroy the ship from the inside. Nobody, not even Aly, brought up the inconvenient fact that if they met Metigor, they would hardly stand a chance. Ky would certainly help, but his small fighter could only do so much.

It was a long, frustrating and exhausting afternoon. They agreed to stop the discussion when it became clear that they were going nowhere. Shawn and Aly had been close to yelling at each other again. Ky was arguing with Xadrin. Cody spent most of the time trying to keep tempers from boiling over. Aly thought that he could be the most exhausted of them all, to be honest.

Thus, she was really, really glad that VIKI told her about this place when she asked for a window with a nice view. This observatory was much, much more than that – it was a room with a rounded dome ceiling, which could be retracted to reveal a see-through dome that laid bare the universe in all its glory.

She took a deep breath, hardly believing that she was lying down among the stars. It reminded her that despite the frustrations and danger of being a Ranger, she was incredibly privileged to have a chance at something most people on Earth do not. She was so, so lucky.

The door slid open a few meters away. She did not feel the need to check who it was. It had to be one of her teammates, anyway.

Someone whistled. "Well, well, I see you've found a nice spot."

She turned her head slightly, blinking at Ky in surprise. "Ky! Are you looking for me? Do I owe you something?" She asked with a grin, wondering if she knew him well enough to tease now.

Ky raised an eyebrow. "I think you do. You owe me an apology."

Surprised by his serious face, she got up a little, bracing herself on her elbows. "For what?"

Ky plopped down to the ground next to her, crossing his legs. "For assuming that we can only talk when we owe each other something." He turned to her, and winked.

Damn, he had _such_ a poker face. Aly chuckled after a beat, shaking her head. Her side complained just a little, and she laid back down, holding her side carefully.

Ky did not miss that. "Shouldn't you get proper rest? Especially after this afternoon."

"This," She gestured at the stars above. "Is way more relaxing. I think I'll get much better rest here."

"You like open spaces, too, don't you?"

Aly snuck a glance at him, noting his appreciative look as he looked up at the stars above. She wanted to say yes because he obviously did. But that would be untrue. "Not exactly. I like functional spaces. I like my dorm – the room I have at the university. I like the guest rooms here. Very purposeful. No wastage. No baggage."

She could feel his curious gaze on her as she continued, "But I like to be reminded of how big the universe is. To be reminded of how small and insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things. Makes it easier to push my own insecurities out of the way and focus on getting the job done."

He didn't say anything in reply. When Aly turned to him, he caught her in a gaze so intense that she could not look away. His green eyes were hard to read in the gentle light of the stars.

At last, he looked away, lying down himself so that they were now side by side. "I'm not very good at that, am I?"

If Aly were younger, she would have said yes. But she had learned the hard way that sometimes being kind was more important than being right.

"You had very bad things happen to you. My life had been pretty uneventful before this whole crazy business. You don't compare things like that."

He was silent after that, and Aly felt a little guilty that she must have reminded him of Jen and all the hard choices waiting for them. She came here to escape all that for the night, after all.

"Will you come back to Earth again, after all this is over?"

He turned to regard her. "You're assuming that everything will end well."

She shrugged. "The alternative is to assume that they won't. And why would you want to do that anyway?"

He seemed satisfied with that answer, and he turned back to regard the stars above them. "I don't know."

Her easy smile faltered. Suddenly, there was a sharp feeling of dread or disappointment or both that she could not explain. Or did not want to.

"Well," she said, perhaps a little too loudly, "That's understandable. There's nothing much on Earth for someone like you anyway. I suppose only someone who hasn't seen the rest of the universe like me—"

"That's not what I meant." He cut in quietly. "You have a beautiful planet. But it might be one where I have to fight my own sister. I don't know if this will be somewhere that I want to come back to, no matter how things turn out."

Aly hoped that her disappointment did not show. "I understand."

"But there are certainly reasons to come back."

Aly stayed very still. "Such as?"

"People I want to know better." Ky said simply. Aly made the mistake of turning to look at him, and his green eyes were open, almost eager. "People I want to spend more time with."

Her heartbeat was quickening with such embarrassing abandonment that she really hoped that Ky could not hear it, being as close as he was. "I hope that is good enough a reason."

"Would you miss me, if I didn't come back?"

Taken aback by his directness, she was speechless for a moment. Ky seemed perfectly willing to wait for her answer.

It was true that neither of them knew each other very well, and that it was not the best time to talk about these things. But she knew she felt something, and Ky was the one who reminded her that whatever feelings she had, they were valid and important.

Besides, a direct question deserved a direct answer.

"Yes." She finally said, meeting his eyes again. "I will miss you."

She saw his hand move. Slowly, as if giving her ample time to object, his hand reached out and touched her cheek tenderly.

"Then that is good enough a reason for me." He whispered, smiling tentatively.

She leaned towards his touch, mirroring his smile. Warmth had crowded out all the disappointment and dread that she had felt, and she was suddenly looking forward to whatever might come next. After, of course, the battle that awaited them.

"I wish…" she said impulsively, "I wish we had met under different circumstances. That we would have more time. I don't think this is the best time to talk about things like this." She felt his hand hesitate, so she quickly added, "Even though I want to."

"And so do I." he said, sighing. He let go and turned to see the stars again, and Aly almost regretted bringing this up. But there was no use in avoiding something inevitable.

"Would you –" she hesitated, and continued anyway as she reminded herself that she would not run away from this, "Promise me that you will find me again, after all this is over?"

He stared at her for a moment, and his hand scrambled for hers. She closed her hand around his, and felt a reassuring squeeze.

"I promise." He whispered.

* * *

The alarms stopped blaring when Xadrin was just about to reach the door of the Bridge. She grimaced, knowing that this meant Cody and Shawn had started engaging the group of foot soldiers that were detected in the park of Crystal Falls moments ago.

As the door slide open, she looked up to find Aly and Ky waiting, their grim expressions mirroring her own. Why did they even spend hours discussing next steps when the choice to act was never theirs to begin with, she could not recall now.

As she dropped down to her seat between Aly and Ky, she tried not to wince at the throbbing on her leg. VIKI had not yet cleared her for combat, even though she knew she could do it if she was morphed. Blasted timing.

"VIKI, play the battle on the main screen." She ordered, and noticed Ky glancing her way as the screen blinked to life. He looked concerned, though he kept silent.

The park appeared on screen, showing about thirty foot soldiers in the armor Aly had stolen almost four days ago from Metigor's ship. But these soldiers wore silver masks, and carried what looked like electrically charged blades.

These prisoners, she reminded herself silently. Even as the soldiers charged at the outnumbered Red and Black Rangers, each of their blows aiming for serious damage, she and the rest of the team had to keep in mind the terrible truth that lied behind those masks. These soldiers were humans. They were acting against their will.

"What do you think they want?" Aly suddenly asked. "Metigor is not among them. They abandoned their previous tactic of showing up at nighttime and trying not to get too much attention. Not that they have to keep themselves hidden, but why now?"

"Their weapons are not meant to poison more humans," Xadrin muttered, suddenly realizing why this seemed different.

"It could be a test." Ky said, and they both turned to him. He had crossed his arms, and was frowning at the screen. "My fighter's attack must have taken Metigor by surprise. Maybe he wants to find out who else is here. He must have finished repairs to his ship."

A flash on the screen caught her eye. "Cody!"

The Red Ranger rolled out from the smoke of the small explosion, seemingly unharmed as he went on to attack another soldier. Xadrin let out a breath she did not know she was holding, her fist unclenching a little. She realized suddenly that she had been paying closer attention to Cody than Shawn, who was struggling just as badly against the onslaught of attacks. Frowning, she pushed the thought aside and tried to see the battle impartially as she ought to.

Next to her, Aly stood up. "I'm going to help."

"No." Ky rejected loudly even as Xadrin opened her mouth to, "You're not. You haven't recovered enough."

"I will go," Xadrin declared, standing up.

Aly turned to her sharply. "You're in a worse shape – you are disadvantaged in hand-to-hand combat."

"And you are not at full strength with your injury." Xadrin retorted.

"At least my mobility is not affected."

Xadrin slammed her fist on the console, "This is ridiculous. We don't have time—"

"I'll go," Ky suddenly said. Both Xadrin and Aly snapped to him, shocked. "I can help — don't look at me like that. I trained with you for years, Xadrin."

Xadrin shut up. Why didn't she think of this before?

"But you're not a Ranger," Aly protested, she had gone around her seat to stand in front of Ky, as if blocking his exit. "Even if you have training, you won't last long fighting them-"

"She's right," Xadrin said slowly, "You're not a Ranger."

Ky rolled his eyes impatiently. "I don't care. I'm not going to just sit here and watch the two of you risk your lives –"

"Would you take a morpher?" Xadrin asked, "There are two more on this ship."

Ky's eyes were wide. Xadrin thought she could see the struggle in his eyes. He had, after all, spent the past few years rejecting everything that had any links to Rangers. But that was before.

"I don't –" Ky started, paused, and tried again, "I don't know if I deserve it."

Xadrin got around her seat and made her way to the secret compartment at the back of the bridge. "It doesn't matter. The Power will decide if you are deserving."

She grabbed the box that held the two remaining morphers, and walked back to Ky, opening it in front of him. "I think you do. If you insist on going into battle, then please do me a favor and give it a try."

Ky's eyes were a little too bright as he stared at her. "I will."

He took one and fastened it around his wrist. With one last look at the Xadrin and Aly, he activated it.

There was a white flash much like her own morph, and Xadrin widened her eyes as the flash disappeared, leaving a fully morphed Silver Ranger in its wake.

Aly gasped beside her. Xadrin only smiled, knowing that Ky could do it. The color was the only surprising thing – he had been in line for the Green morpher back in Eltare. But that was years ago now.

Ky stared at his own gloved hands for a second, and looked up at them. Xadrin wondered what his expression was behind that visor.

He nodded at them. "I will be back soon."

"Ky!" Aly called when he was almost at the door. He turned back. "Be careful."

He nodded once, and was gone.

Xadrin sighed, both happy for Ky and yet frustrated that she was stuck here. She turned back to the screen to watch for Ky's entrance, yet Aly's worried look caught her eye.

"Are you all right?"

Aly avoided her gaze as she went back to her seat. "I'm not the one in the battlefield."

Xadrin settled back down in her seat, noting that the Silver Ranger had charged into the battle, taking down several soldiers at once as they were caught by surprise. It seemed like the tide of the battle has turned.

She focused on Aly again, noting her stiff posture and the clenched fists against the console in front of her.

"Ky will be all right." Xadrin told her, wondering if her hunch was correct. "He was always meant to be a Ranger."

Aly met her gaze, her eyes cold. "That does not make anyone invincible. If anything, it only exposed him to more danger and risk."

Xadrin wondered if Aly realized that she was treating Ky differently than Cody and Shawn and even herself for the choice that they had all made.

"You know he stands a better chance now than before."

Aly nodded curtly. "How can I not? It's —" She suddenly gasped at the screen. "It's not a test."

Xadrin snapped back to the screen, and noticed at once the soldier Ky was facing now was not wearing a mask. The soldier had short brown hair and very familiar green eyes.

Ky froze before his sister.

* * *

Cody sent another soldier flying with his kick, and noted with grim satisfaction that as it landed, it disappeared into a grey teleportation stream. Metigor would teleport back all soldiers who were disabled in battle – no doubt so that he could reuse them again when they recover. Still, at least it solved the problem of what they would do with the soldiers when they were knocked unconscious.

He blocked another punch from his left, and swung around to avoid the swipe of another blade. He had yet to know what those electrically charged blades do exactly, but from the way it caused a small explosion when he knocked two of them together just now, he would much rather not find out.

A muted chime was the only warning he had before Xadrin's worried voice appeared in his head. "Cody, Shawn, Ky needs help – he's not fighting Jen."

He threw the soldier back, knocking a few more that had come rushing. There were less than ten of them now, and Cody had a second to scan the battlefield. Shawn was already heading towards the Silver Ranger, who was half crouching on the ground, his hand holding his left arm. Frowning, he dealt quickly with the soldier in front, and ran towards them. The few remaining soldiers would surely converge on them in moments, but that was a smaller problem at the moment.

He came in time to see Ky pulled Shawn back as he tried to kick Jen, and the two of them had to roll out of the way as Jen brought down her deadly blade.

"Damn it, stop pulling me back!" Shawn snapped.

"She's my sister!"

Cody fired his blaster at the two soldiers who had snuck up on them, and went over to help both of them up. Jen charged at them, and they jumped out of the way – and Cody twisted to change his momentum just in time as another blade missed him by inches.

He cursed, and fired again, throwing in another kick to make sure the soldier disappear. From the corner of his eye, he saw that both Shawn and Ky were hesitating around Jen, being pushed back by her continuous charge.

They cannot keep this up.

"Shawn, aim for her blade!" he shouted, knowing that Shawn had better aim. He dealt with the final remaining soldier, and turned just in time to see the Jen's blade flying out of her grip from a blaster shot. Still, she charged, and Shawn had to pull Ky out of the way again.

"Don't disable her!" Ky was shouting, "She'll be sent back—"

"She's not gonna stop until she defeats us!"

"Hold her!" Ky suddenly said as they duck out of another attack. Cody realized with a start what they could do. "Get her back to our ship—"

Cody ran forward, and grabbed Jen from behind. She struggled and almost threw him off, but Shawn was there, catching her arms and holding them in place.

"VIKI, teleport us to the simulation room!" He ordered, knowing that they would need the space to restrain her.

The world was washed in red, and when it reappeared, they were at the empty simulation room on the Ace. Jen stopped struggling for a moment, shocked by the transition.

"Jen." Ky said hoarsely, already unmorphed as he stepped closer.

Cody could not see Jen's face, but he saw Shawn release her arms. Tentatively, Cody loosened his grip. Jen did not move.

Cody took a step back as he heard her gasp.

"Ky…?"

Right before Ky could touch her, a red beam hit Jen – she shivered, and fell as the beam released her.

"Jen!"

Cody turned to see wall-mounted blaster returned to its place by the wall.

"Blasted!" Ky barked as he cradled his unconscious sister on the ground, "VIKI, we had her!"

"No you didn't." Xadrin's voice snapped, and Cody turned to see her strode into the room, followed by Aly. "I ordered VIKI to stun her."

"She recognized me!" Ky's voice almost broke, and Cody tried to suppress his pity for him as he unmorphed quietly. Shawn did the same a few feet away.

"For now, maybe." Xadrin's voice softened as she came to a stop in front of the group. "You saw how she was during the battle. We need to contain her before we do anything else."

Ky did not reply. He held Jen closely and tightly, showing no intention of letting go. Cody exchanged glances with Shawn, and saw his own helplessness reflected in his eyes. Xadrin clenched her fists, but she, too, said nothing.

Finally, Aly stepped forward, and crouched down next to Ky. "Come on, Ky. She is unharmed, and she is here. Now, we need to work on the next steps to make sure she is really back with us." Tentatively, she gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Do it for her."

Ky took a deep breath, and nodded. He adjusted his arms, and stood up, carrying Jen in his arms. "Where do we go?"

The brief silence that greeted his question was a reminder that none of them had planned for this to happen at all.

"There are a few containment cells." Xadrin said quietly, and Cody realized that she had been silent not because of not knowing what to say, but because of reluctance.

Ky nodded curtly, and started forward without a backward glance.


	9. Divided

**Chapter 9: Divided**

Shawn let out a breath he did not know he was holding as he watched Ky walked towards the door, carrying the unconscious Jen like she weighted nothing in his arms. A movement to his right caught his eye, and he saw Cody quietly giving Xadrin a supportive hug.

He looked away and started towards the door as well. He had noticed the subtle looks that Cody was giving Xadrin more and more recently. He knew it was not his business, but he wondered if Cody knew what he might be getting himself into. Xadrin was from a different planet, after all.

"You're bleeding." Aly was saying to Ky in front, and Shawn heard footsteps behind him that meant the remaining two were catching up. Shawn suddenly remembered the way Ky was holding his arm when he first reached him. Was it Jen who did it?

Ky ignored her as he turned right, following the green light that VIKI had provided. With his dark colored jacket, it was hard to tell. But when Shawn shifted, he could see that Ky's left hand was bloodied.

"Look, why don't we stop by the med bay?" Aly tried again, "We could get Jen checked as well, to see if she needs anything."

Ky slowed a little. "That is… a good idea. Thank you."

Aly gave Ky a small smile, but did not say another word as she continued to walk by his side.

As the team walked in silence towards the med bay, Shawn could not help but think how fast things keep changing. First, they were a team of four, trying to deal with Metigor alone. Then, their foes multiplied and things got rather complicated with Ky and his sister coming into the picture. And now Ky, who — as far as Shawn was concerned — had been rude, impulsive and aloof, was suddenly a Ranger and part of their team. Shawn was not sure what to think of that. He needed to find out how _that_ happened.

When they arrived at the med bay, Ky insisted on reading Jen's scans before he allowed anyone else to tend to him. Xadrin and Aly helped removed Jen's armor, and Shawn couldn't help but sneak a look at Aly, who had been in exactly the same place and wearing the same armor barely days ago. To his relief, Jen was not drenched in blood like Aly was.

Still, Ky grimaced at the reading and Jen's prone form, and his eyes were bright as Cody silently led him away to another bed.

Curious, Shawn looked over Aly's shoulder as she read it as well, and frowned when he did not see what was wrong. Jen had no injuries.

"She's fine, isn't she?" He asked quietly, not wanting to attract Ky's attention.

"In terms of not having any injuries." Aly replied, just as quietly. But she gestured at Jen's unconscious form. "But just look at her. She's obviously underfed. And her body's been overworked. She's only sixteen."

Shawn's eyes widened in shock, and he studied Jen's form again with fresh eyes. She had looked much older than sixteen. And if he looked closer, he could see that the dirty tunic she was wearing beneath the armor was too big for her. And she looked… bony.

He grimaced, understanding why Ky had been emotional. This must be heart wrenching for him.

Aly had gone to get something, and when she returned, he noticed a device in her hands that had sharp needle on one end.

"What's that?" Shawn asked.

"I'm getting a blood sample." Aly said simply, turning Jen's arm around to find a vein.

"What are you doing!" Ky was on his feet when Shawn turned in surprise, and he covered the ground between them in a few strides, the glaring red gash across his left arm forgotten.

"Ky!" Xadrin sounded exasperated when she arrived beside him, Cody following quietly. "Why can't you just—"

"What are you doing to her?" Ky demanded.

Shawn saw Aly flinch at the vehemence in his tone, but her voice was steady when she replied, "I'm getting a blood sample."

"Why?"

"To analyze Metigor's poison, see if VIKI can come up with an antidote." Aly explained calmly. Shawn had to give it to her, she was always thinking a few steps ahead.

"There is none," Ky said, his voice dangerously low. "Did you not think thousands of people have tried?"

Aly lifted her chin defiantly. "I wouldn't have expected less. But you heard Xadrin, the previous victims were never this strong. The poison must have changed, and even if we couldn't find a cure, it would be good to analyze it and—"

"You will not treat her like some lab specimen." Ky spat, and Shawn widened his eyes.

"Ky, Aly didn't mean that." Xadrin said quickly, her eyes darting between the pair who was now glaring at each other.

"Jen is my sister," he growled, "I have already agreed to placing her in a containment cell like a prisoner, I will _not_ let her be treated like a lab specimen."

"For goodness' sake, will you just stop acting like a _child_ —"

"And you should stop acting like a cold-blooded computer!" Ky yelled, cutting Aly off. She looked like she was slapped.

"That's enough," Xadrin cut in, "both of you. Ky, got get stiched up. We won't take any blood samples, all right?"

"As much as I'd like to preserve peace," Aly said coolly, "You should know that with every second we waste in not finding an antidote, someone else on Metigor's ship gets closer to death." She directed a piercing glare at Ky again, "They may not be your sister or brother, Ky, but they are someone else's. Think about that before you accuse someone else of being cold-blooded."

She slammed the device on the tray, and stalked out of the med bay.

Ky's expression was hard, but he did not look like he would budge. Xadrin was frowning at Jen's unconscious form. Shawn caught Cody's eyes, and he cocked his head at the door, silently asking him to go after Aly. He nodded, knowing that Cody would take care of matters here.

He left the med bay, picking up his pace when he was at the door. Aly had gone further than he would have guessed in the few seconds' lapse. He had barely caught the glimpse of brown hair as she turned left down the corridor.

"Aly, wait up!"

Whether she was ignoring him or did not hear him in her own anger, he could not tell. He had to run the last few metres to catch her arm. "Aly, wait."

"What?" She snapped, surprising him with a face streaked with angry tears.

He swallowed. Girls were never something that he was good at; girls in tears were even worse. "Are you all right?"

"What the hell do you think?" She snapped again, and he flinched. But just as suddenly, she closed her eyes, and covered her face with her palm. "Fuck. I'm – I'm sorry. It's not you."

That sounded a bit more like her. His lips quirked. "I'll be worried if it is. All I did was stand there and watch you two yell at each other. I'm glad you're not yelling at me, for once."

From behind her palms came a muffled chuckle. With a deep breath, she wiped her face dry and opened her eyes again. She did not really meet his gaze though. "Sorry about that."

"You've already apologized." Shawn said, relieved that at least she seemed to have stop crying.

"Not for that." She muttered, her eyes meeting his briefly before darting away again. "I mean for all the other times I've yelled at you. I must have – I know what Ky means. I know I'm always very calculative and cold-blooded—"

"Are you really buying that?" Shawn asked, frowning in disbelief.

She looked slightly startled at his question. "I know how difficult I can be—"

"This is ridiculous." Shawn snorted, "You're letting some angry words get to you—"

"They have more than a ring a truth to it, though." Aly muttered.

"No, they don't," Shawn said firmly, grabbing hold of her shoulders to make her look at him. "You are _not_ cold-blooded. You wouldn't have been here if that's the case — you stayed to help a stranger fight a freaking alien, like Cody and I did. And you wouldn't tell anyone that you're half bleeding to death before you make sure the rest of us are all right—"

"I wasn't half bleeding to death." Aly muttered, and Shawn was glad that the bitterness was gone from her voice. He was getting through.

"Like hell you were not." He said half-heartedly, mirroring that half smile that Aly was giving him.

"Thanks." She said as he let go, "You're right. I was letting angry words getting to me. Stupid thing to do."

"Agreed." He said heartily, grinning as Aly punched his shoulder playfully. It was funny how they hardly see eye-to-eye on so many things, and yet could get along well otherwise. Shawn felt like they could have been siblings.

Aly turned towards the way she had come from, and just like that, the lightness in her eyes was gone. "I was serious about the blood sample, though."

Shawn nodded. "I see where you're coming from."

To his surprise, Aly shook her head. "It wasn't just that. Something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

"What happened today. What happened when I was on Metigor's ship." Aly said with a frown. "The more I think about it the more it doesn't add up."

"Are you going to tell me why or not?" He said impatiently.

"I'm not too sure myself," Aly muttered, "We thought Metigor's ship was a stolen cargo ship before I was captured, and before the three of you infiltrated it. But it is a full-fledged battleship – so why was it that I snuck around the whole ship blindly the whole day without triggering a single alert?"

"You said that there were no guards. The prisoners would not pick up your presence."

Aly caught his eyes; her own were troubled. "But there were cameras, Shawn. I had thought someone must have been watching them and kept waiting to see someone sneak up on me."

Shawn did not know what to do but nod sympathetically. That must have been one hell of a day for her.

"And yet I survived and got out _on my own_." Aly continued, "Even before that, Jen recognized my morpher. She couldn't have been the only one."

"Are you saying that Metigor _let_ you wander around his ship?" Shawn said, not really wrapping his head around the idea.

"It could be a trap." Aly crossed her arms. "To give me false information – and it wasn't until Xadrin told me that I know that information has been relayed back to Eltare, and her brother's team is acting on them."

Shawn took a couple of steps back to lean against the wall, and stared at the ceiling as he tried to digest her words. "That sounds like a bit of a stretch. What would Metigor accomplish?"

Aly uncrossed her arms, and clenched her fists. "That's the _thing_. I don't get it. Unless I've interpreted everything on his ship completely wrongly – which is unlikely, because even complete idiots would get _some_ of it right – he had handed information about his battleship to me.

"And today's attack as well – why dump a squad of soldiers in the middle of the park with no intention of kidnapping anyone for his army?"

He had been wondering about that. "To lure us out?"

Aly nodded, "That's likely. But why hide Jen among the soldiers when he knew she is our weakness? I would have made her lead the attack from the beginning, unmasked from the start."

"Maybe he was waiting for Ky – well, Xadrin to show up." Shawn offered, "He did see them together on the ship."

Aly looked like she was thinking hard. "It could be, but still…"

"But why do you think a blood sample would help?"

"Like I said, to analyze the poison," She said, and Shawn almost roll his eyes at her before she continued, "Not just for an antidote. I'm hoping we'd be able to tell things like whether the poison would fade, whether it was weaker at certain times of the day – things that we can work with when we rescue the rest of the prisoners."

Shawn was impressed. He had not thought to think that far. "Damn. I wish I could help."

Aly looked at him sharply at that. "Would you?"

"Of course," Shawn said, wondering if he should feel offended that Aly had doubted that. "I meant what I said."

"Then I need your help with something."

* * *

Cody was on his way to the containment cell for his shift of watching over Jen when he bumped into Aly on the way.

She looked startled, and pocketed something quickly. "Hey. Aren't you a little early for your shift?"

He shrugged. "Ky's been there all night. I figured he'd need the sleep more than I do."

"If he can sleep, that is." Aly muttered.

Cody studied her, recalling the shouting match in the med bay last night. She looked like she did not get enough sleep. Though there was no hint of anger when she referred to Ky. "You know he didn't mean what he said yesterday."

Aly looked away. "It doesn't matter."

He nodded, glad that she looked like she meant what she said. Absently, his eyes caught the cylindrical lump in her jacket pocket, and recalled how she had hastily put this away when she saw him. There was a flash of something dark red, something – his eyes widened.

"Aly, what's that in your pocket?"

She flinched. His eyes narrowed. "Did you-"

Wordlessly, she took the small cylinder and held it up for him. Even though it was unlabelled, it was very obviously a vial of blood.

He cursed quietly. "How did you get that with Ky on night shift? He'll be furious!"

"It doesn't matter. It's done." She said stubbornly, pocketing the vial again.

"It does matter," He said firmly, trying to keep his voice down, "It matters that you did not respect his request—"

"His request?" Aly repeated, her eyes flashing with anger, "His irrational demand, you mean! You saw how he was — he's so freaking emotional and unthinking when it comes to Jen — he can't be relied upon for good judgment."

Cody frowned. "You have a point. But this isn't just about him. It's about how you are treating Jen. You're not treating her with the dignity she deserves."

Aly's expression was hard. "Do you think I'm a cold-blooded machine as well?"

So Ky's words had stuck, after all. "I don't," He said firmly, "I'm just saying that you could have waited until she wakes up and ask her for it."

"Do you think I'll stand a chance with Ky around? And don't talk to me about dignity – you didn't see what the conditions were like on that freaking ship, there was no dignity at all to speak of." She said, and Cody realized with a start that perhaps she had spared them the more gruesome details of what she had seen on that ship.

"I'm just trying to shorten the time those people will spend in that condition." She continued quietly. "The Jen I know would approve, I just know it."

Cody hesitated. He still did not like this sneaking around within the team.

"Are you still hung up on that 'lab specimen' comment?" Aly said as the silence stretched. "If it makes you feel any better…" She paused, and rolled up the sleeve on her left arm. Cody knew what he would see even before the band-aid on the crook of her elbow was revealed.

"I'm a lab rat as well," She said with a humorless grin.

Cody sighed. "Why?"

"I just recovered from the same poison, remember?" Aly said.

Cody suddenly realized what she must have been getting at. "You want to see if an antidote could be made from your blood."

Aly shrugged, to his surprise. "That was the idea. But VIKI said it wouldn't be that easy. We are immune to it because we are Rangers, and that is not exactly biological." She waved her hand absent-mindedly, "I discussed this for hours last night with VIKI. Basically, the chances of it working are pretty low. But it's not zero, so we've got to give it a try."

"Anyway," she said, "it's not just for the antidote. It will be good if it gives us more information about how the poison works, maybe it could help with the rescue operation."

Cody studied her, noting the slump of her shoulders and her tired eyes. She looked like she had been working all night on this. Even if Cody could not agree with her actions, he had to acknowledge that she was trying harder than them in finding a cure, at least. And it was not fair to give her so much trouble over it.

"Go get some rest." He finally said. "You look like you need it."

She nodded. "I'll just drop by the med bay before I head back to my room. Oh – Cody?"

He raised his eyebrow.

"Something… doesn't feel right." She said, "Things are not adding up the more I think about it. I've talked to Shawn about this, could you catch up with him later?"

Cody had wanted to ask her more, but she really looked like she could use some sleep. So he nodded. "Will do."

"Be careful." She said, before walking past him towards the med bay.

He turned slightly to watch her retreating figure, and wondered what was it that did not add up _. Be careful_? On the Ace?

* * *

Xadrin couldn't stop smiling as she made her way to the mess hall, her heart still full of the warmth from talking to a long-lost family member all afternoon. Jen had woken up some time in late morning, and to all their relief, she was not under Metigor's influence — she was 'awake', as she herself described — though she was wise and understanding enough to accept the need for placing her in a containment cell, brushing off Xadrin's apologies.

Both Xadrin and Ky had stayed for hours in the cell with her, talking about the changes at home and in their families while she was gone. None of their eyes stayed dry for long periods in those few hours, and Jen had surprised them both by being more mature and stronger than they expected. Xadrin felt so incredibly proud of her.

She slowed her steps as she caught bits of conversation from the mess hall.

"What do you think it could be?" Cody's voice was asking quietly.

"I don't know." Aly was saying like she had repeated this many times.

Curious, she poked her head into the mess hall. Shawn saw her first, and he nudged Cody beside him. Aly turned around to look as well. They looked a little startled. Or did Xadrin read too much into it?

She went in the rest of the way, smiling. "I thought I would be the only one hungry at this hour."

"And we thought Aly was the only one." Cody said, smiling back.

She caught Aly raise her eyebrow as she went to the synthetron to get her early dinner. "This is a normal time to get hungry. I just decided to get proper dinner instead of a snack."

Xadrin missed the others' replies as the synthetron emitted a slow whine as her food was prepared. When she joined them at the table, they seemed to be waiting for her already.

"How was Jen?" Cody asked casually.

Xadrin smiled. "She's great. Unbelievable, like you said," She nudged Aly. "She understood why we had to put her in a containment cell. Asked us if we planned to save the other prisoners as well. We were expecting — I don't know, a little more sadness or resentment for the years she had lost. But she just said she was grateful and that she wanted to go home."

"She wants to go home?" Aly repeated, her voice thoughtful.

"To Eltare. To see everyone again." Xadrin said, already looking forward to the trip, knowing that many people would be delighted to see her. "She even asked about Xander's team. She used to hang out a lot with us when we trained, you know."

She caught Aly and Shawn exchanging glances. Cody looked thoughtful as well. She put down her sandwich again, realizing why that was so weird. They did not seem as happy as she thought they would be at the news.

"All right, what's the matter?"

"What do you mean?" Shawn said, trying to look innocent. Both Aly and Cody did not meet her eyes.

"You are acting weird." Xadrin narrowed her eyes. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

Aly sighed. "We were just talking about something else. About how things did not add up since the day I woke up in Metigor's ship."

Taken aback, Xadrin took a moment before she replied, "What do you mean?"

"There are several things," Shawn started, and for some reason Aly threw a grateful look at him and continued with her dinner. "Firstly, we thought Metigor's ship was a cargo ship, which should not have any sophisticated alarm system. But if it is a full fledged battleship –"

"Aly!" Ky barked from the door.

He strode angrily into the hall. When he reached the table he knocked Aly's cup off the table, spilling her drink all over the floor. "I told you not to touch her!"

Xadrin jumped to her feet, seeing Shawn and Cody do the same. Aly, however, remained seated, setting down her fork and knife calmly.

"Ky, do you really have to-"

"She took Jen's blood behind my back." He growled, and Xadrin turned to Aly in surprise. From the way she calmly stood up and met Ky's gaze, it had to be true.

Xadrin grimaced. "Aly."

"Yes, I did it." She admitted coolly. "And now VIKI is working on an antidote—"

Ky took a step forward, his face inches from Aly's face as he growled, "I don't care. You should have respected my request, I'm her brother—"

"And you are a Ranger," Aly snapped back, "You should know that hundreds of lives are at stake here—"

Ky looked slightly startled at that, "You don't get to question my status—"

Xadrin caught Cody's eyes, and motioned for him to restrain him. She herself grabbed Aly's shoulder from behind, and held it firmly.

"Stop it," Xadrin ordered, raising her voice to drown out the other two. "Sit down and talk like proper adults."

Aly sat down without much help from her, though Cody and Shawn had to give Ky a much stronger nudge. Or shove. Xadrin could not believe that they had to do this.

"Let's do this one step at a time." She started, "Aly, why did you take Jen's blood sample when we agreed that we won't?"

Aly raised her eyebrow at her. "Did we 'agree'? Or did you just give in to whoever was shouting the loudest?"

Xadrin's eyes widened, and she fought to suppress her anger. "That's not the point. The point is you snuck behind the team's back to do something we did not agree to."

"She didn't." Shawn said, and Xadrin turned to him in surprise. "I helped her."

"Shawn!"

"Look, I agreed to help you because I believe you meant well," Shawn said to Aly, "I'm not going to pretend I did not and let the two of them yell at you."

The fact that the two of them, who had disagreed and argued about so many things, actually cooperated had not even sunk in when Cody added quietly, "I found out this morning."

For some reason, that roused a sharper sense of betrayal, and Xadrin gaped at Cody.

Ky suddenly snorted. "What a team."

After what they had been through in the past weeks, it felt like a slap in the face. She had never had this feeling with Xander's team. But then again, she realized with more than a tinge of bitterness, this was never Xander's team to begin with. She had taken too many things for granted.

"Look, I kept quiet because it had already been done, and there was no point in starting an argument like this," Cody was looking into her eyes when he said this. Xadrin only glared at him. "I do not agree to ignoring Ky's request because you are Jen's brother. But you have to realize that this is much bigger than Jen alone, and we are racing against time to save hundreds of lives."

Ky kept quiet, but his fists were clenched, and his whole body was facing outwards, as if he was prepared to leave any time.

"If we are to work as a team, you have to trust that we would not harm Jen," Cody continued, and then turned pointedly to Aly, "And no one should sneak around doing something against what the team has decided."

Despite her anger, Xadrin appreciated what Cody said. It was something that they should have talked about a long time ago.

Aly nodded. "As long as the team makes decisions based on reason and not based on whoever shouts the loudest, I am fine with that."

Ky's fists twitched, but he settled for a glare at the remark.

"Good." Cody said simply.

Xadrin watched the Ky and Aly, and found it hard to believe that just yesterday she had thought that they might have feelings for each other. Or was it exactly because they feel for each other that they fought so hard?

Nobody said anything in the moments that followed. Abruptly, Aly picked up her fork again and continued with dinner. Xadrin looked down at her half-eaten sandwich, trying to decide whether she was till hungry after all this.

When the muted chime came, it was almost a relief. "Rangers," VIKI announced, "I have managed to produce an antidote for Jen based on a combination of the anti-serum meant for Rangers and Aly's blood. Would you like to use it now?"

Xadrin turned to Aly in surprise at the mention of her blood – had she provided a blood sample as well for the effort?

"Are you-" Ky sounded surprised but hopeful. "Are you sure?"

"It proved effective when tested with Jen's blood." VIKI replied, "From Jen's medical report, there was no reason to suggest that it would not work on her."

Ky was already standing up and heading for the door, and Xadrin had abandoned her dinner when she realized that Aly was still seating down.

Cody noticed as well. "Aly?"

"I'll catch up with you guys after this." She said with a small smile, nodding at her half-eaten dinner.

Shawn took a look, and changed course towards the synthetron. "I think I'm getting hungry as well. You guys go ahead. You don't need us there."

Xadrin was hesitating when she caught Cody gesturing for her to follow. His eyes showed the same excitement that she felt, and despite her earlier sense of betrayal, she was glad that she had him on the team. So she followed.


	10. Observations

**Chapter 10: Observations**

Ky woke up with a start, feeling something stir in his hands. Jen's hand was still a tad warmer than normal, and he frowned as he watched her stir in her sleep. The fever that ensued following the injection of the antidote last night was to be expected, according to VIKI. The only thing that assured him it was true was his memory of Aly's recovery – her fever seemed to be worse then for some reason. Still, it was still not pleasant to watch her suffer through the experience. If the antidote turned out to be ineffective, he would make sure that no one touch Jen again.

He stood up to change the cloth on Jen's forehead, grimacing at the memory of what Aly did. He did not understand why things had turned out so horribly. He must not have been thinking straight – he only remembered the anger, fear, desperation and sadness that had gripped him in turn as he stared at his grown-up sister.

Now that he Jen was safe and sound in front of him in the med bay – VIKI said that there was no more reason for her to be in the containment cell – he was starting to realize in horror what he had said and done. Rationally, he knew that Aly had only done what she had to do, to save not only Jen but the rest of the prisoners as well. If he had been completely honest with himself, he knew that it was what he himself should have done.

He buried his face in his hands, feeling guilt and shame flooding his mind and everything else. He knew he had problems with his temper ever since he quit Ranger training, but seeing his sister again must have been too much of a shock for the little control that he had. He would have one hell of an apology to make, no matter the outcome of this.

"Ky?"

He looked up in surprise. Jen was awake and smiling at him. "Good morning."

He smiled back, adjusting the controls such that front of the bed rose up a little, making it easier for them to talk. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Jen looked around the room, curiosity evident in her eyes. "The same. Where am I?"

"This is the med bay."

She turned back to him, a slight look of alarm on her face. "But I'm supposed to be at the containment cell. You don't know when Metigor will summon me—"

He abandoned the chair, choosing to sit by the side of the bed instead. His heart went out to her for putting others' safety beyond her own comfort and dignity, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. "He won't ever summon you again. We cleared the poison from your body."

There was a muffled gasp, and Ky let go to grin at her shocked expression. "But — how? Everyone knows there is no cure."

"We found one," He reassured her, silently thanking Aly for having the sense to ignore him. "You're free from him now."

He watched as the fact slowly sunk in, and tears started gathering in her eyes. "You're not humoring me, are you? I've spent _years_ dreaming of this…"

His own vision began to blur with tears. "I'm very serious about this. You are free."

With a sound that could either be a sob or laugher, she buried her head in his chest again, and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug with equal feeling, remembering just in time to hold back his Ranger strength.

Yes, he had one hell of an apology to make.

* * *

Xadrin heard the chatter in the mess hall, and quickened her pace. When she reached the door she nearly skipped into the room, stopping in front of the table with a flourish. "Good morning!"

Cody grinned. "I see someone is finally walking properly again."

"Bouncing, more like," Shawn quipped in between mouthful of toasts.

"Well, with good reason," Aly added, smiling. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." She grinned back, making her way to the synthetron with a mixture of side steps, light jumping and finished with a little twirl in front of the machine. "You have no idea how good it feels to be rid of that thing."

Cody chuckled. "We are getting a good idea."

"We have to go somewhere today." Xadrin announced later when she set down the tray at the table and sat down next to Aly. "Anywhere. I've been stuck on the ship for almost two weeks! No offense, VIKI."

She caught a camera blinking at her. "None taken. It will be good for you to spend some time off the ship."

If Xadrin was not in such a good mood she might think that the A.I could be looking for a reason to kick her off the ship. But she was feeling the happiest she had felt in a while, so she just grinned at the camera. "I'll take your 'professional advice' to heart."

"I will feel more gratified if your decision to follow my advice is not so selective."

Cody and Shawn both laughed, and Aly caught her eye and chuckled. Xadrin could not suppress her own grin, but just when she was about to say something, someone else appeared at the door.

"Are we late to the party?" Ky asked, smiling as he nudged Jen into the hall.

"Jen!" Xadrin called, walking over to pull the slightly hesitant Jen to the seat next to her. "How are you feeling? Do you want to eat something?"

Jen grinned at her enthusiasm, and gave her hand a squeeze. "I feel better than I had in forever! But I'm quite hungry, to be honest."

"That can be easily settled." Ky said as he made his way to the synthetron.

"Have you tried food from Earth?" Cody asked. They had met only briefly last night, but Xadrin was glad that he was making the effort to make her feel welcome.

Jen shook her head, but she looked excited. "That's your planet, isn't it? Can I visit?"

Xadrin laughed, feeling glad that some things never changed.

"Sure," Shawn said, "Xadrin was just saying we should go somewhere today. Let's just go down to Earth for the day."

Cody nodded. "We will show you around."

"Really?" Jen said, looking like she was on the verge of jumping out of her seat. "That would be great!"

As Ky returned with a large tray of food and Jen started asking about the different items, Xadrin settled back down in her seat, noting suddenly that Aly had been quiet. Xadrin gave her a good look, and noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the slow manner she was taking her breakfast.

Xadrin gave her a gentle nudge. "Are you all right?" She asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to her. "You looked really tired."

Aly met her eyes with a smile. "I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all."

"Why not?" Xadrin frowned a little, and snuck a glance at Ky and Jen, still talking enthusiastically about food and the visit to Earth. Ky was the one who stayed over at the med bay last night after they administered the antidote. Aly and Shawn never joined them like they said they would. What could she be doing?

Aly followed her gaze, and shrugged.

Before Xadrin could probe further, a sudden quiet at the other side of the table drew her attention. She found the rest of the team quiet, and Jen's expression serious.

"What did I miss?" Xadrin asked, wondering what could cause such a mood change in a few seconds.

"I remember Metigor's weapon." Jen said simply, and Xadrin's eyes widened. "I didn't think about it before, but when they told me about Earth, I remember Metigor was preparing a weapon for it."

"What kind of?" Aly asked from her right.

"Some sort of machine that's supposed to poison thousands of people at once."

Xadrin felt an involuntary chill. Thousands at once.

"How long before it's ready?" Shawn leaned forward in his seat, his fists clenched tight.

Jen shook her head. "I don't know. I only know that a prototype is almost ready. He has plans to make more of them. You need to stop him before he does."

"We will." Shawn said firmly, his eyes determined. "With Xadrin off the leg support, we're almost ready to strike."

"We need a better plan." Cody muttered.

"We can," Aly suddenly said, and the rest turned to her. "Jen, you must be more familiar with Metigor's ship than I am. We can combine our knowledge of the ship later and make sure we catch Metigor off guard."

"Yes, that'll work!" Jen agreed enthusiastically, mirroring Xadrin's own excitement. "We could do that right after breakfast! Then we will stop Metigor before he does anything, and Ky and I can go home!"

Xadrin had been smiling at Jen's excitement, but her smile fell when she mentioned going home. She snuck a look at Cody, and realized with a start that once everything was done, she, too, would be going home. She could have sworn that was the one thing she wanted badly many times over the past weeks, but suddenly the idea of leaving her team, leaving Cody, seemed too horrible to bear.

"— slow down," Ky was telling Jen fondly when Xadrin dragged her focus back to the table, "You still have a mild fever from this morning. And you wanted to visit Earth, remember?"

"Yeah," Cody said with a smile, "I think we can afford a few hours of fun. Besides, if we don't let Xadrin spend some time off the ship she might just go crazy." He finished, winking at her.

Xadrin wanted to glare at him, but she suspected that the effect was ruined by the grin she could not hide.

Jen could not bring herself to disagree, and they settled for Cody's plan. Breakfast continued with more questions from Jen about Earth, from the climate to people and everything else, with Cody and Shawn taking turns to explain. Both Xadrin and Ky learned more than they did over the past few days. Xadrin couldn't help but smile at Jen's curiosity and energy. In so many other ways Jen has changed, but with this, it felt like she was still the eleven-year-old that they thought they had lost.

When they were all returning their trays and preparing to teleport down to Earth, Aly surprised them by saying, "You guys go ahead. I feel like staying on the ship."

The group paused, and Xadrin exchanged glances with Cody. "Are you sure?" Cody asked.

Aly grinned at their reactions. "Yes. It's not like I've never seen Earth before. Go on, I'm just going to catch up on some sleep."

Ky took a step forward towards her. "Aly, I-"

Aly focused on him, her grin intact. "We have plenty of time to talk later. Go ahead. I know you haven't seen Earth properly as well."

Xadrin did not think that it was as simple as it seemed; Aly's grin looked a little forced. But she did look like she needed the sleep, and the longer they stall the more they would make her uncomfortable.

And so Xadrin took Jen by the shoulders, and pretended to herd her and the rest of the group to the door. "Come on, she's kicking us out. We better go before she gets serious." She turned back, and caught Aly's grateful smile.

"I'll meet you in the park," Shawn was saying when she passed by the door, and she saw him going back. Xadrin raised an enquiring eyebrow at Cody, who merely shrugged.

Jen's shoulders moved out of her grip, and Xadrin turned to see her to the same to Ky in front. Laughing, she hurried to get back in position, forming a short human train. She recalled with delight that it was a game they had played when they were young, and it seemed like Jen remembered.

When another pair of hands touched her shoulders from behind, she turned back to see Cody grinning at her, forming the last of their human train. She laughed again, already starting to enjoy the short break they had.

* * *

Aly had not yet moved from her earlier spot when Shawn went back to the mess hall. She did not even look up until Shawn was almost right in front of her.

"Aren't you going with the rest of them?" She asked, frowning a little.

Shawn crossed his arms. "I'm going to make sure you get some sleep this time. Did you stay up after I left last night?"

He tried to think what time it was when he and Aly finally left the mess hall last night. The only thing he could come up with was 'late'. When the others went to administer the antidote on Jen, Aly had immediately asked VIKI for an analysis of the blood sample and antidote. What followed was an intense discussion of the probability of producing the antidote in such a short time. Shawn did not understand all of it, but he got the gist that it was highly unusual to actually produce a workable antidote within a day of getting the blood sample. If he was right, even VIKI sounded surprised, and had informed them of the few extra tests she repeated. When Shawn yawned, Aly seemed to have caught it and called off the discussion. Now, it seemed like she had continued with it herself, until god knows what time.

"I was just doing some reading." Aly said, her eyes troubled. "Did you notice anything unusual with Jen just now?"

He blinked at the sudden change of topic. He tried to recall their conversation at breakfast. "She seemed… normal. Quite remarkable, actually, after what she's been through."

"Don't you find that strange?"

He frowned. "Well, it's not impossible. And you said it yourself that she was stronger than the other prisoners. That she's still keeping her fighting spirit."

Aly turned back to sit down at the bench again, facing outwards. "That's true. But what if I was wrong then? There's something wrong with how she's behaving."

Shawn sat down next to her with a sigh. "Care to explain?"

"Remember when I mentioned that she would know Metigor's ship better than I did?"

Shawn nodded; that had given him some hope that they would stand a higher chance of succeeding.

But Aly grimaced. "She shouldn't. Or at least, it contradicted what she told me earlier back at the ship. She told me then that the prisoners were all not 'awake' when they were summoned out for the day's work, and they would only wake up at their cells again."

"So she shouldn't know anything about Metigor's ship at all other than the cells they were in." Shawn finished the train of thought, frowning. "But why would she said she did?"

"Three possibilities," Aly muttered, "One, she lied to me then. Two, she lied to us just now. Three, she's been lying the whole time."

Shawn tried not to wince at the implications. "Maybe she just got herself confused."

"I want to believe that." Aly said quietly. "But she was clear enough when she asked about the way things work on Earth. And," She said quickly before he could cut in, "I know those are innocent questions. But look at it another way – it could also be useful when you want to conquer a planet."

Shawn let out a breath slowly, running through the list of questions that Jen had asked. He had no counterargument for that. "So what are you saying? Jen is helping Metigor?"

Aly leaned back, resting her elbows on the table behind. "I don't know. I hope not. But – VIKI, do you think it's possible that Metigor's control has gotten more sophisticated?"

The camera nearest to them blinked once. "You are implying that Metigor could take over his victims' personality and memories, and exert influence over their actions in a way that is consistent with their personalities. There is no evidence to imply that it could not be done. However, it is far more sophisticated than his earlier type of control."

"In short, possible." Shawn muttered to himself, hoping very much that it was not true. That is a far scarier scenario than fighting unthinking zombies.

"We have to make sure," Aly said, "Before we carry out any mission with Jen's help. Or we could walk right into a trap."

Shawn turned to look at her. "You want to test her."

She nodded. "We have to find a way to do it. And we cannot let Xadrin or Ky know —"

"Why not?"

Aly narrowed her eyes at him as if he just said something stupid. "Because they don't want to see it. Ky will never agree to it."

Shawn held her gaze. "But we're a team. We shouldn't hide things from each other. Didn't you just promise Cody this yesterday?"

Aly looked away. "That was a smaller issue."

"All the more reason why we have to tell them, because this is much bigger." Shawn retorted. "And it's not about the matter at hand anyway. It's about what kind of team you want this to be."

Aly frowned. "It will never work. Ky will never agree to this."

"You should know, I suppose," Shawn said, starting to feel impatient. Aly could be very stubborn when she wanted to. "You're acting just like him."

Aly turned to him in shock. "I'm not!"

"You are. He doesn't trust the team to treat Jen with respect and care. And you don't trust the team to put the big picture first."

Aly stared at him, speechless. A few moments later, she chuckled, rubbing her face with one hand, as if trying to rub away the tiredness she must be feeling. "Damn. You're right."

Shawn smiled lightly. "You don't have to sound so reluctant about it."

She grinned, punching his shoulder lightly. "You better treasure this moment when you're right. They don't come often."

He returned the punch good-naturedly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She gave him a smug grin, but when she looked away, her face was serious again. "You're right. We have to tell the others. I can talk to Ky."

Shawn raised his eyebrow, surprised that she chose Ky after the fight between them. But then he remembered the way Ky stepped forward this morning, the apologetic look on his face. Perhaps Ky had wanted to apologize, and Aly knew.

So he nodded. "I'll talk to Cody then. And…" He recalled the subtle looks that Cody had been giving Xadrin, and what that might mean. "Cody can talk to Xadrin."

Aly raised an eyebrow at that, but did not comment. Instead, she sat up straight. "Right. You better get going. They must be wondering where you are."

He got up, and offered a hand for Aly. "And you better get some sleep before you talk to Ky. Why didn't you just sleep in anyway?"

She took his hand and got up. "I wanted to see how Jen was doing. I'm glad I did."

Shawn sighed. So she had planned this. "Why am I not surprised," he muttered to himself as they made their way to the door.

He saw Aly glance his way at that comment, but anything that she wanted to say was taken over by a yawn.

He rolled his eyes. "Go on, off to bed!"

"Yes, mother," She said with a grin, and disappeared down the corridor before he could say anything else.

He chuckled, shaking his head.

* * *

Ky sighed as he leaned back in his chair, smiling when Jen punched a fist into the air.

"We're done!" She said happily.

There were a few chuckles from the team sitting on the various mismatched furniture around them, but most were too tired after hours of discussion and planning to match Jen's energy. It had been a long day.

After the short trip to Crystal Falls, the city where the other Rangers were currently based, they had dived right into talking about their plan to infiltrate and take down Metigor's ship. Jen had listened intently to their discussion, offering information where she could, and confirming or correcting Aly's memory of the ship layout. Ky was proud of her for contributing as much to the discussion.

"What did you feed her for lunch?" Aly asked the team with a smile from her seat almost directly opposite him. "How is she still so energetic?"

Shawn snickered, "Aren't you always the one too excited to sleep after a strategy session?"

Ky missed whatever retort Aly gave as he just stared at her. She had joined them here when they returned to the ship, and she seemed to have been studiously avoiding his eyes in the past few hours. He even directed a few comments at her during the discussion, but she would just keep staring at the layout plan instead of meeting his eyes. He had a feeling that he screwed this up very badly.

Then she, and the rest of the team, started standing up, and Ky scrambled to his feet, wondering what he had missed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cody pulled Xadrin back, and announced that they will meet them here again later. Ky was confused for a moment until he realized that the team would regroup to the other side of the room for dinner in half an hour's time.

"Ky, are you going back to your room?" Jen tugged his sleeve, and he had to smile at that familiar gesture.

But his eyes lingered on Aly, who was yawning and stretching as she talked to Shawn. He needed to get this right.

"Maybe not," He told Jen, hoping that she would not mind. "There is something I have to do here. Would you mind giving me a few minutes?"

Instead of looking disappointed, Jen glanced at Aly briefly, and gave him a mischievous smile. "Sure. Good luck."

Taken aback that Jen seemed to know more than she let on, he did not manage to reply before Jen bounced over to Shawn, and tugged him away from Aly with whatever excuse she must have just came up with. Aly seemed mildly amused that she had lost her companion so quickly.

She looked around the room, and her gazing pausing briefly at the kitchen area where Cody and Xadrin were talking quietly. Absently, her gaze caught his, and her smile faded as she turned around to leave.

"Aly," he strode over, and caught her hand before she could walk further. "I'm sorry."

She paused, and reluctantly turned to face him. She kept her expression cold and neutral, and did not say a word.

Ky knew a chance when he saw one. "I was a big idiot. I have been very, very stupid and said many stupid things. I'm very sorry."

She crossed her arms. "It's not stupid things." She said, her voice cold and steady. "You know those words would hurt. I trusted you with my weakness and you used them against me."

He winced, but knew that it was true. Years of surviving on his own without the help or protection of Ranger influence had taught him how to protect himself effectively. His instincts had been honed to hurt.

"I don't deny that," He said finally, shamefully. "I will not find any excuses for what I have done. I know it was terrible and I'm … I'm ashamed of it. If there is anything that I can do to make it up for you, please let me know."

Aly's cold gaze pierced right through his heart. But he knew he deserved it.

Finally, Aly looked away with a sigh. "I know you were worried about Jen. But you have to learn how to control your emotions, Ky. If you lose it in the middle of a battle, it could get you killed."

His heart quickened with the hope that Aly might actually forgive him. Had she not just express concern for him?

"Will you… forgive me?"

To his delight, Aly nodded, even smiling a little. He grinned, enveloping her in a big hug before he knew what he was doing. For a moment, Aly leaned in, but all too soon she was pushing his chest lightly away.

He let go quickly, mildly embarrassed. "Sorry. I was just-"

Aly shook her head. "Don't. It's just that… we promised not now, remember?" She said, denting his high spirits a little. "This is not the time for this. After all this is over…" she trailed off with a smile, a sense of promise in her words.

"After." He agreed firmly, taking a deep breath and trying to drink in this moment.

"For now we are teammates." Aly said, even taking a small step back to emphasize her point.

"Can we at least be friends as well?" He asked lightly. He missed being close to her already, but understood and respected her decision.

"Only if you trust me." She said, her eyes suddenly serious.

"Of course I do."

"Really?"

He started to worry that he had hurt her more than she let on. "With my heart. And you can trust me as well. I know my best is probably not enough, but trust that I will never mean you any harm."

"Good." She nodded, but looked away for a moment. Ky followed her gaze, catching just in time the nod that Cody was directing her way.

She met his eyes again. "I need to ask you a favor."


	11. Trying Times

**Chapter 11: Trying Times**

Breakfast had been subdued this morning, but it was expected. The team was supposed to set off on their mission right after this. Even though they went over the plan over and over again last night, it did not seem to soothe the tension in the air. They were, after all, an untested team. And they were about to find out what they were really capable of.

Jen was not surprised when Ky pulled her aside before they set off. The rest of the team was respectful enough to give them their own space, and Ky had looked into her eyes and told her that he loved her, and asked – or pleaded, for her to remember that. It was a little startling, but she supposed Ky wanted to be prepared for anything that might happen during the mission. She had smiled and returned his hug, knowing that he had meant it.

As the team sped out of the hanger bay on their gliders – they could not teleport directly into Metigor's ship anyway – Jen watched behind the glass panel, and wished for a moment that they did not need to go. But of course they did. And now Jen was alone on the ship.

No. She shot a sideway glance at the camera at the corner, at the evidence of VIKI's omnipresence onboard the ship. She would never be alone on this ship.

"VIKI, could you trace their journey? Can I watch it on the Bridge?"

"Certainly, Jen." VIKI replied. "I will project the feed to the main screen on the Bridge if you wish."

"Thank you."

The Bridge was eerily silent when the door slid open. But as promised, a feed of the Rangers' journey was shown on the screen. And it seemed like they would be close enough to sneak onboard Metigor's ship any second now.

Ky had shown her around the ship during one of their talks. And he was very eager to answer all her questions. And so Jen knew exactly what she was looking for when she strode towards a panel by the side.

Before the ship A.I. had the time to ask, Jen switched off her voice, and initiated teleportation lockdown throughout the ship.

"VIKI?" A voice asked.

Jen spun around, and saw the Blue Ranger glancing at the cameras, but her blaster was trained right at her.

Aly turned to her when VIKI did not reply, and said firmly, "Game over, Metigor. Let Jen go."

* * *

Aly's heart sank when no reply came from VIKI. The five of them had spread out over the critical locations on the ship that were most vulnerable to sabotage – the engine room, the environmental control room, the hanger bay, and the bridge, with two of the others guarding the engine room. But Aly did not count on Jen acting so swiftly against VIKI.

"Game over, Metigor." She told Jen, knowing that Metigor must be seeing through her eyes. "Let Jen go."

Jen's face snarled. "Game over for you, Blue Ranger."

Aly fired twice, but Jen dodged and charged right at her. Black flashes danced around her head, and before Aly could make out what they were a pair of them flew straight at her — she dodged too late, and gasped in pain when one of them hit her her torso, right were she was wounded the last time.

And then Jen was in front of her, raining down punches and all Aly could do was block. Vaguely she felt the black flashes — dancing knives — cutting her thighs and legs. She gritted her teeth and tried to find an opening —

Suddenly, something slammed into her wounded side and she cried out, the pain so intense that her vision darkened. The next thing she knew, she was pressed up against the panel behind her, Jen's arm bearing down on her windpipe.

"You! I've had enough of you, spoiling my plan again and making me look bad in front of Metigor—"

"No…" Aly croaked, even in her pain she knew this was not right, "Metigor is controlling you-"

"Please," Jen snickered, "I'm his _second-in-command_. He doesn't tell me when to sit or stand."

Aly looked at Jen's face, twisted in cruelty and distaste. "Why…?"

Jen raised her eyebrow mockingly. "Why? Why don't you ask the Rangers _where_ they were when Metigor put me through hell? Why don't you—"

"Jen!" Ky's voice cut through the fog of pain. Aly knew then that Shawn must be close behind; they had been the closest at the engine room.

Jen let go, and Aly gasped for air. She fumbled behind her for support as the room swayed in front of her. She just managed to lean on the console — her legs were shaking, and she vaguely registered the blade embedded in her side that had pierced through her Ranger armor. She knew she would lose her morph soon, and could only watch helplessly as Ky confronted his sister.

* * *

"Jen!" Ky's pained shout did not prepare Shawn for the scene at the bridge. As he rushed into the room behind Ky, he halted just past the door, stunned.

Jen was letting go of Aly, who staggered backwards against the console, leaning heavily on it. A ring of knives danced around Jen's head, one of them breaking formation and twirling around her fingers as she twitched them.

"Hello, brother." Jen said calmly as she turned around to face them, toying with the dancing blade.

Footsteps echoed down the corridors, and Shawn stepped sideways, keeping his blaster trained at Jen. The white and red rangers burst into the bridge a moment later, weapons drawn.

"How?" Ky gasped, asking the questions on all their minds.

"I must say, Metigor taught me very useful things after I pledged my loyalty to him." Jen remarked, waving her fingers as another blade materialized in front of her. She toyed with both knives as smoothly as she did with one.

"Pledged your _loyalty_?" Xadrin repeated in disbelief.

"Don't look so surprised, cousin dearest," Jen drawled. "A girl's gotta take care of herself. Especially when the people she trusts the most left her for dead. Don't you agree?"

"Jen," Ky stepped forward, "We've _never_ left you—"

"Oh?" Jen cut in, eyebrow raised, "You didn't? Where were you when Metigor put me through hell? Where were you when he killed the only friend I had in front of me?"

"And that is why you are loyal to him?" Xadrin challenged, "That he killed your friend?"

"He promised me power," Jen snapped, "and he gave it to me. I'm his second-in-command, and I have enough sorcery to not rely on anyone else. These are more than any of you could ever give!"

In the silence that followed, everyone was so still that it felt like time had stopped.

Suddenly, Jen shrugged. "Well, I suppose my trap for you isn't going to work now. I will be back for you, Blue Ranger." she called over her shoulder. And just as suddenly, silver sparkles swirled around her, and she disappeared into the teleportation stream a moment later, along with all her dancing knives.

"Jen!" Ky reached out into thin air, his voice anguished.

Only silence remained. For a moment, none of them moved. Then a flash of blue caught his eyes, he turned just in time to see Aly's morph disappear.

"Aly!" Xadrin reached her just in time to stop her from falling, and she was coughing blood when Shawn and the rest got to her.

"Be careful," she rasped, her face grimaced in pain, "of her knives…" she finished, and lifted her bloody left hand from her side. They gasped. A knife was sunk deep in her body — it had pierced right through her Ranger armor.

Aly's body sagged, and Cody came in quickly to hold up her other side.

"VIKI, teleport us to the med bay!" Xadrin ordered, one hand applying pressure on the wound that Aly had let go of.

Nothing happened.

"VIKI – Shawn, turn off the teleportation lockdown," Xadrin snapped, "And turn her voice back on."

Shawn realized before he reached the panel that he had no idea how to, but VIKI herself was eager for it, and prepared the interface to make it easier for him to unlock those. When he did, he turned around to see the three figures disappear into the teleportation stream.

He opened his mouth to request the same for himself, and realized that Ky had not move from his spot. Shawn unmorphed, and went over.

"Ky," He said, gripping the Silver Ranger's shoulder.

Ky's morph disappeared in a silver flash, and his face was already streaked with tears. "It was not supposed to end like this…"

Shawn grimaced, giving the other guy's shoulder a squeeze. He had no words of comfort to give.

It was not supposed to end like this at all.

* * *

As Xadrin tucked Aly in, she realized with a start that it was done. Everything that needed to be done immediately was done.

She could finally have a breather – the first one since this morning's hushed preparations, the tense wait at the hanger bay, the shock of the distress signal actually coming through, the even bigger shock at the bridge, and the subsequent rush against time to bring Aly back from the brink of death. She could finally take the time to breathe.

But she couldn't.

Her hands started to shake as she braced it on the side of Aly's bed, and she found it suddenly hard to breathe.

Hands cupped her shoulders gently, and she tensed.

"It's me," Cody said quietly, and she relaxed, "Are you all right?"

Already, traitorous tears have escaped her eyes, and she closed them, wishing that it was that easy to shut out what had happen, that easy to shut out her failures.

Because she failed terribly. She failed to fight harder in the search for Jen and other Santor victims; she failed to realize Metigor's plans were much bigger and more intricate than she could ever imagine; she failed to see beyond what she wanted to see in Jen; she failed to provide the backup that Aly had counted on.

A sob escaped, and she felt Cody turn her around gently, and enveloped her in a fierce hug. He was silent, taking whatever it was she was willing to give. And in his acceptance she found the courage to let go and cry for her lost cousin, for Ky, for Aly, and for herself.

* * *

Shawn took one last look at the guest room, and keyed the door shut. He held up the clear bag in front of him, and narrowed his eyes at the piece of tunic within. It was the only personal item that Jen had left behind, after a sweep of all the places she had been had turned up clean. Given that Jen claimed to know sorcery — the existence of which Shawn was still trying to accept — both Cody and himself agreed that it was better for them to dispose of anything that she had left behind. Ky and Xadrin were not yet in a proper state to think about next steps, but some of them had to.

VIKI was of course perfectly capable of clearing out these things by herself with her army of maintenance bots, but Shawn needed to do something besides just sitting and waiting for Aly to wake up. Punching something or someone would be ideal, but given the situation, he was perfectly willing to do some cleaning that required him to move around the ship.

When he passed by the mess hall he lingered by the door, as if hearing the ghost of Jen's laughter and their own. He recalled their short trip to Earth, where Jen had been in awe of almost everything. She had seemed so … normal. So full of life and laughter. He could understand why Ky and Xadrin or anyone else would love her so.

The bag made some crunching sound as he clenched his fists tight, and it reminded him of what he had to do.

"VIKI," he said before he could stop himself. He felt like he needed to talk to someone.

"Yes, Shawn?"

He had to take a few moments to find the words. "Do you think… any of it was real? When Jen was here, was she lying the whole time, or do you think there were moments when she was… genuinely glad to be with us?"

VIKI was silent for a few moments as well, and he looked up in surprise. She always seemed to have the words for everything.

"The little information I have on her profile does not provide enough evidence to be conclusive," VIKI finally replied, "But from her confession on the bridge, it is possible that she still desires kinship."

In other words, VIKI had no idea as well, but she was pointing out the bright side. He shook his head, "Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"You are trying to cope with the situation. I simply provided the information that suggests the situation is not as bleak as it might seem."

In other words, yes. Shawn smiled at the camera by the corner, glad that there were still things that he could relied on to be true.

"Thanks, VIKI."

* * *

The banging woke Ky up. He started, looking around his darkened cockpit in confusion. How long had he been asleep? Did it matter?

The banging was persistent. "Come out, Ky!" Xadrin's voice was only slightly muffled, she must have been right outside. "I will climb up there and drag you out if I have to! You know I will!"

He covered his eyes with his hand. He should have at least flown his fighter out of the hanger bay. He was starting to regret it now.

The banging continued.

With a grunt, he slammed the hatch open and stood up, poking his head through the opening. He blinked a little at the startlingly bright lights of the hanger bay, feeling suddenly light-headed.

"Get down here." Xadrin demanded.

It was easier to obey her through the fog of his mind. His body was unusually stiff – he fumbled on the stairs, and completely missed the final step.

Xadrin caught him before he fell. And she began steering him towards the exit even before he could steady himself. He had yet to make sense of his surroundings.

"What — what are you doing?" he asked. Blasted, his throat was so dry.

"Making sure you don't kill yourself." Xadrin said simply. "VIKI said you've been in there since yesterday morning."

Yesterday. Had it been that long? That long since his world was turned completely upside down?

He stopped in his tracks, hard enough that Xadrin could not simply drag him. He had to go back to the fighter. That was the only place, the only thing he understood right now.

"Ky, look at me!" Xadrin repeated, and grabbed his shoulders to force him to look at her. When he finally focused on her eyes, he was startled to see it shine with unshed tears.

"Don't do this to yourself, please." She pleaded, her grip tight on his shoulders, "I've lost one cousin yesterday, I'm not going to lose another."

Lost… that's right. Jen was lost — found again against all odds, and wrenched away in the most unexpected way by the mistakes of his past. This time, Jen had gone willingly – and it was because of that that he knew he had lost her forever. Not even a vow to finish Metigor could soothe this pain.

But Xadrin was hugging him tightly, reminding him that he was not alone. In the corner of his mind was a voice crying out that it was Xadrin and her brother's team who failed to bring Jen back, but the more recent memories of their time on the Ace were stronger. Ky knew with dreadful certainty that it was he himself who had failed Jen. And Xadrin was hurting just as much as he was.

He hugged back, holding on tightly to the only family he had left.

* * *

When Cody dropped by the med bay in the afternoon, Shawn was snoozing on a chair beside Aly's bed. He tapped his shoulder while giving Aly a quick glance. It doesn't seem like there was any change.

Shawn opened his eyes, and sat up straight, looking as awake as ever. Cody had never met someone who woke up so fast. He cocked his head at the bed in silent enquiry.

Shawn gave him a small smile. "She woke up once, a few hours ago. I think she was thirsty; went back to sleep right after a drink."

Cody returned his smile, relieved. "Good. That's progress. Do you want—"

Aly stirred, and both of them went closer to for a look. Her face looked troubled, as if she was having a bad dream. Cody exchanged a glance with Shawn, and tried to wake her.

"Aly, wake up," He said, shaking her shoulder gently. "It's Cody and Shawn here. You're safe. It's just a dream."

Her eyes snapped open, wild with panic.

"Aly, it's us," Shawn said firmly, "Calm down. We're here for you."

She seemed to get it as her body relaxed, and she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again with a sigh. "Sorry."

"Whatever for?" Shawn said as he adjusted the bed so that she was not completely lying down. They watched as she took a few deep breaths. Her left hand moved to touch her side, feeling tentatively for the bandages beneath the covers.

"I suppose it's a stupid question to ask how you are feeling?" Shawn said lightly a few moments later.

Aly managed a small smile, which was a good sign in itself. "Like… déjà vu." She said weakly, "Only worse."

Both Cody and Shawn chuckled, perhaps more in relief than anything else. If she could still make a joke, then it might not be as bad as it seemed.

"Do you want to drink something?" Shawn asked, "Once you get something down, VIKI can give you some painkillers."

She nodded without another word, and Shawn went to fetch them.

Aly turned to him, her face serious. "How are Xadrin and Ky doing?"

Cody thought back to yesterday morning when Xadrin broke down in his arms. He remembered her rushing off this morning when VIKI informed them that Ky had stayed in his fighter the whole time after the morning's events. "They're taking it hard, as expected. At least Xadrin was more open about it. Ky just closed himself off."

She closed her eyes, almost in resignation. "I wish I was wrong."

"I think we all do." Cody replied, dragging a chair over from the next bed and sitting down. "But don't worry about that for now, you need to focus on getting better."

Shawn returned with a glass of smoothie and a small shot of liquid painkiller. They watched as Aly sipped the smoothie, not quite knowing what to say. Were there any words that could improve the situation?

"How long was I out?" She asked after she downed the painkiller with barely a grimace.

"About a day," Shawn beat him to it, "it's Friday morning now."

Aly winced, "I wish I don't keep losing time like this. There's so much we need to do…"

"Hey, letting your body heal is important work," Cody said, "And besides, I think we all need some time to deal with Jen's… situation."

She looked at him sharply, and turned a similar gaze on Shawn. "How are _you_ doing?"

Shawn looked to him wordlessly. Cody tried to smile. "Not as bad as you or the others, for sure. But… you weren't there on our field trip the day before yesterday, Aly. You should have seen Jen, she was so…" he looked to Shawn helplessly.

"Normal?" Shawn tried, returning his bitter smile, "Lively? An all-round fun-loving girl who shouldn't have faced something like this?"

Aly's face softened. She reached out with both her hands and took one theirs in each hand, squeezing them gently in a silent offering of support. Cody squeezed back, looking around at the two strangers who had become teammates and friends in such a short period of time. Not for the first time, he marvelled at the split-second decision on that fateful day in the park, at how they were brought together so unexpectedly.

There were no words that could improve the situation, it was true. But they didn't need words. They had each other.

* * *

 _"_ _You need to take it slowly." A female voice said somewhere behind her, too close for comfort. "That will take some time to heal, even for a Ranger."_

 _Aly spun around, meeting a pair of hard green eyes. "This might take a little longer," Jen sneered, pulling a blade out of thin air and stabbing it straight at her heart…_

Aly gasped and sat up, feeling a sharp pain shooting through her side. She took in the clinical bright lights of the med bay and forced herself to breathe. It bloody hurt, but the pain came from her side, not her heart.

"You were just having a bad dream, Aly." VIKI's voice rang clearly in her head, planting her firmly in this reality.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a few tears escaping — from the pain or from the lingering terror from her nightmare, she did not know. She removed her trembling left hand from her wound and braced herself, using her right hand to fumble for the button that would raise the top half of her bed. She was in no hurry to go back to sleep, for sure.

When the bed was raised to its full height, she lowered back down slowly while holding her side, breathing hard. Impatiently, she wiped her cheeks dry. VIKI was not actually a person, but still. It was embarrassing.

"Do you need anything?" VIKI asked, and waited patiently as she took her time.

"I'm fine, VIKI." She finally said, staring straight ahead. She still felt tired, but she refused to consider going back to sleep. "What time is it?"

"It is 10.02pm Crystal Falls time."

She just had to make sure. "I've only slept for a few hours after Cody and Shawn left, right?"

"Affirmative."

She closed her eyes for a moment, relieved. She felt like she had lost so many days. First with Metigor's poison, and now with this. She hated this. She hated waking up and finding that she had lost another day of her life. And no doubt she would be bed-bound for another couple of days, and everyone would tip-toe around her and not let her do anything for the rest of the week…

She grimaced, hating the idea of what her immediate future looked like.

"Would you like something to drink?" VIKI asked again, no doubt monitoring her through the cameras and a dozen of other sensors Aly did not know about.

"I said I'm fine!" She snapped.

VIKI was silent, and Aly bit her lip as she leaned back on the pillow, regret and guilt washing over her. It was not VIKI's fault.

"I'm sorry," Aly said, feeling her vision blur with tears. "I didn't — I wasn't thinking."

A small whine announced the arrival of the mobile desk, with a flask of water on it. A mechanical arm extended from the side of the desk, and it brought the flask to her, pointing the straw near her lips.

Aly supposed she was forgiven. She sipped the water gratefully, and thanked VIKI again when she was done.

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps came from the doorway, and seconds later, Xadrin popped into view, grinning in relief. Aly suspected VIKI had something to do with it.

"Aly!" Xadrin exclaimed with a big grin as she walked over, sitting down unceremoniously on the side of her bed and taking Aly's hands into her own, "I finally get to see you!"

Aly had to smile at her energy. She seemed to be doing better than Aly was expecting. "You see me every day."

"Well, you gave me quite a scare the last time I saw you," she said quietly, her smile faltering a little. Wordlessly, she leaned forward and embraced Aly in a hug. Aly hugged back as tightly as she could, trying to ignore the persistent throbbing on her side.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Xadrin muttered into her hair before slowly pulling back.

Aly kept her hands on the other girl's shoulders, studying her closely. "And you? How are you doing?"

Xadrin made a valiant effort to smile. "I don't know."

Aly's heart went out to her. "Come here."

She pulled Xadrin into a hug this time, and they both held on to each other for a few more moments, words having failed them again. Eventually, the throbbing on Aly's wide grew, and she had to pull back, one hand sneaking to her side.

Xadrin caught it anyway, and pulled back in chagrin. "I'm sorry! I forgot — did it hurt?"

"I'm getting used to it," Aly said as she leaned back onto the bed, "don't worry."

Xadrin was frowning. "You shouldn't be moving around —"

"What else could I be doing?" The words were out before she could stop herself, and she tried to swat away her earlier frustration that was threatening to boil over. Xadrin didn't deserve this.

Xadrin eyed her shrewdly. "Are you all right?"

She looked away, knowing that she couldn't hide it from her. "I'm not looking forward to being stuck here and not being able to do anything for the next few days, that's all."

"Your body needs the rest," Xadrin said gently.

"But I —" she paused, and realized that it was too late to stop, "I've woken up twice now, and both times I dreamed that Jen had finished her job properly." She caught Xadrin's wince out of the corner of her eyes. "I don't — I don't want to go back to sleep," she finished lamely, feeling like a five-year-old.

"Oh, Aly," Xadrin muttered, looking down. "I'm sorry about Jen."

"Don't. You have nothing to do with it."

"But I'm a Ranger," Xadrin protested, "I'm her _family_. I should have done something. I should have seen something. But I couldn't bring myself to — I really wanted her to be back, you know?"

Aly squeezed Xadrin's hands reassuringly. "I know. I wanted to see the good in her too."

"I can't help thinking that she's right." Xadrin said, "If we had tried harder to find her and the other victims, she and the rest of the victims wouldn't have —"

"You did everything you could, everybody did."

"But she was such a good girl," Xadrin said softly, her voice close to breaking. Aly reached out to hold Xadrin's arm, rubbing up and down softly because she did not know what other comfort she could offer. She continued for a few moments while Xadrin sniffled quietly.

Eventually, Xadrin straightened up, and shot her a grateful smile as she wiped her cheeks. Aly smiled back, but was overcame by a yawn.

Xadrin chuckled. "You know what? I don't want to go back to my room tonight. I'll stay here with you."

Aly blinked at her as she turned around and kicked off her boots. "What?"

Xadrin turned around gracefully, and brought her legs up onto the bed. "Well, move over!"

Hiding a grin, Aly carefully scooted over to one side. Xadrin leaned back onto the bed next to her, and wiggled herself under the covers.

"Lights off, VIKI." Xadrin ordered. The room darkened, with only dim lights on the floor marking the exits.

In the darkness, Aly felt Xadrin's hand closing around hers. "Good night, Aly. I'll be here, don't worry."

"Thanks." Aly muttered, relaxing with a smile. She knew that no nightmare will wake her up this time.

* * *

Aly was reading on her bed when Ky halted at the door to the med bay. Even in the unflattering patient gown that she was wearing, she managed to look beautiful. She was still a tad paler than normal, but it was a welcome sight when his last memory of her had been her falling unconscious and bleeding heavily from her wound.

He drank in the sight of her hungrily, lingering over every detail. But all too soon she looked up from her tablet, as if she felt his presence. Her eyes caught his, her face unreadable. She did not ask him to go in, or kick him out.

Taking a deep breath, Ky made his way in, holding her gaze the whole time.

"Hello, Ky," Aly said softly, as he stopped beside her bed.

"Aly." He nodded, his throat tight. Despite thinking about this while on his way here, he still did not know what to say. How do you face someone whom your sister almost killed? How do you face that someone when you still could not bring yourself to blame your sister for the vicious act?

"How are you?" Aly ended up asking, and it was almost too hard to bear.

He shut his eyes tight. "Please. Don't."

Aly was silent for a moment. Ky imagined soaking in her anger, her accusations, and her hatred. He wanted to. He deserved as much.

"Do you still trust me?" She asked.

It echoed something she had asked, a lifetime ago…

 _"_ _Do you still trust me?" Aly asked again when he did not reply._

 _"_ _I do, but I also trust my sister!" Ky snapped, feeling cheated, coerced and forced into a corner he could not escape. After so cunningly asking about his trust, Aly had turned around and accused his sister of something so much worse than cheating._

 _"_ _Then trust me on this," She said firmly, "I am not asking you to betray Jen. I am asking you to give me a chance to prove her innocence. If she passes this test, then there is no more reason to doubt her."_

 _He gritted his teeth. "If she knows that we set up a trap for her—"_

 _"_ _It is not a trap if she doesn't fall for it." Aly said simply. "If she doesn't, then we will just tell her the truth. This is not just about her, Ky. If, by any chance, she could not be trusted, our whole team is in danger. Xadrin would be in danger. Do you really want to take that chance?"_

 _Aly would be in danger, his traitorous heart whispered. Did he really want to take the chance and put Aly in danger?_

 _His heart needed no time to come up with an answer._

Life had such a sense of irony, sometimes. He thought he would be protecting Aly. And yet, he had almost gotten her killed. His own sister had almost killed her, and he still could not bring himself to hate Jen, or even forget about her.

"Do you still trust me, Ky?" Aly repeated.

Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded, not even opening his eyes.

"Then listen to me." She said. "Please don't feel bad about this. Nobody wanted this to happen. And killing yourself over this…" She trailed off, and he almost thought she would not continue.

"…It kills me to." She finished in a whisper.

Startled, he opened his eyes, and saw her looking away. Almost unconsciously, he moved forward and sat down carefully on the side of her bed. He sought her eyes, and when she would not turn around he tentatively took her hands into his own.

He rubbed small circles over the back of her hands, hesitated, and kissed them softly.

Aly's startled eyes met his.

"It kills me to know that Jen did this to you." He said, feeling that he could no longer hide his words, "It haunts me to know that I still want her back."

Aly pulled back her hand, and his heart sank.

"It's… understandable." She finally said, in a manner that conveyed clearly that she did not like what she said. "You don't stop being family overnight. I don't expect you to."

"I'm sorry—"

"No." Aly said immediately, as if she was prepared for this, "People keep telling me that. But it's not your fault, or even Jen's. It's Metigor. Don't take any blame from him."

Ky shut up. None of them said anything for a few moments too long. It was a kind of silence that was a far cry from the comfortable silence they enjoyed, that night at the observatory, far too long ago.

When Aly finally spoke, he was both relieved that she did, and terrified of what she would say.

"We… agreed, to find each other again after all this is over." She said, and he felt his heart hung on to every word, "Is there… is there still an 'after'?"

"Why…" he said slowly, trying to wrap his head around the idea what Aly might be giving up before they had even begun, "Why won't there be?"

Aly stared at him for a long moment, her gaze piercingly sad. "Because I am scared of your sister. I dreamed – I keep dreaming, of her killing me. But I know you must want her back, somehow. And I –" She looked away, "I can't share your dream with you, not anymore."

He felt like he fell off a cliff.

It was true. He still wanted to get Jen back, no matter how small the chance might be. He had initially thought that Jen was lost forever, but the very fact that she was still alive must mean something; it must mean that there was still a chance that she could become good again.

He swallowed. "You don't have to."

"Do you think that will ever work?" She asked bitterly, "You'll be trying to get her back alone. And I'll be scared of her on my own, hoping that you won't — that you won't get her back. There is no way to stay together when we will both be alone."

He stared at her, stunned by the picture that she had painted for them both.

"To hell with 'after'," he said through gritted teeth, frustrated that they were going nowhere, "'After' will _never come,_ Aly. There is only right now. I was wrong. I was wrong to promise you 'after' – I want you _now_. And I want to be with you now."

He reached out, and caressed her cheek with one hand, feeling bolder when she let him. "I want to be with you now." He whispered.

She closed her eyes, but leaned into his touch, so lightly that he might have been imagining it. "It doesn't change what I said, Ky. Our paths will diverge."

"We walk our own paths, Aly." He said solemnly, feeling her freeze at his words, "We make them. Let me help you fight your fears. But let me tell you about the Jen I know. We'll never know what's going to happen. But we need to believe we can make things happen."

"We need to take a leap of faith." Aly suddenly whispered, looking as if she was surprised by what she said. "Someone once told me that. He said, ' _We will never have the full set of information. You have to be prepared to take a leap of faith'_."

He ventured a small smile, feeling hopeful. "Did you take the leap?"

She nodded.

He couldn't resist. "How did that work out?"

She looked up at him, light humor in her eyes, "Painfully. But," She closed her hand around his, "I won't change a thing about it."

He had a feeling that it had something to do with the two of them. "You have to tell me that story some time."

She leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. "It is still being written."

* * *

 **A/N:** And... we have reached the end of the first arc, and the end of my NaNoWriMo project. Do you want the story to continue? I may need some time before I get a huge chunk out like this, but if I know there are people waiting then that's more motivation :) Let me know!


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